Compromise of the Heart: A Clintasha Story
by Notzi
Summary: Clint Barton has always been a constant in Natasha Romanoff's complicated life. However, uncovering an otherworldly artifact and spending a weekend at Clint's house both threaten Natasha to reevaluate their relationship. Can Natasha continue to fight with Clint by her side now that her heart has been compromised? Not suitable for kids (lemons!).
1. Author's Note

**DISCLAIMER: This author's note contains major spoilers from** _ **Avengers: Age of Ultron**_ **. If you haven't seen the film yet, I suggest you skip this section. If you have watched the movie, you may feel free to read this note; it basically speaks on my decision to write this story. You may want to sit down…it's pretty long.**

 **Once again, this passage contains major spoilers in the film! You've been warned.**

I went to see _Avengers: Age of Ultron_ on its opening night (May 1, 2015). The film was very enjoyable, but it was far from perfect, and it wasn't as good as the original. The plot was all over the place, Ultron's creation was rushed, and Thor's subplot wasn't explored as it should've been (I'm not just saying that because I'm in love with Thor. His subplot was extremely miniscule to say that it had a lot to do with him bringing Vision to life). However, my biggest gripe with the film was that inexplicably, Clint was a family man with a wife and three children, and Natasha was suddenly attracted to Bruce Banner. I was a Clintasha shipper. A BIG one. So much so, that when it appeared that Natasha was starting to have a thing for Steve Rogers in _Captain America: The Winter Solider_ , I openly complained. However, I later saw that Nat always wore a silver arrow in honor of Hawkeye in the film (something that will be an important plot point in this story), and all was right with the world. _Age of Ultron_ killed all that.

Now, don't misunderstand me; I love Bruce Banner. I just don't love him and Natasha together (sorry Brutasha fans). In my opinion, they made a bad couple. Not only that, but the entire thing was just out of left field. In the first _Avengers_ film, there was no hint of an attraction between Bruce and Natasha, just a mutual respect. Besides, Bruce already had a love interest: Betty Ross. She's not particularly memorable in the MCU (I actually had to Google her to learn her last name), but nonetheless, she was Bruce's girlfriend, not Natasha.

The bond between Clint and Natasha was extremely strong in the first film. The minute Nat learned that Clint had been hypnotized by Loki, she immediately dropped everything and did whatever she could to save him. She stayed by his side and made sure he was back on his feet when he finally came out of Loki's trance. There was something between them. Even in the comics, Hawkeye and Black Widow became romantically involved. They were supposed to explore the romantic relationship between them even further in the MCU, but rumor has it that Mr. Whedon fought the studios tooth and nail to have the now infamous "farm scene" included in the film. Much to my regret, Whedon won.

Now, I've been seeing a lot of complaints on the internet that Natasha's characterization was ruined in _Age of Ultron_ , mostly due to her newfound love interest with Bruce. I totally disagree with this-although I must say, her being kidnapped by Ultron midway through the film was completely nonsensical and was solely a plot device to have Bruce and Natasha have an interlude. Just plain booty, son. But I digress. Her characterization wasn't ruined because she likes Bruce now (out of the blue). Just because she has feelings for someone else, it doesn't make her any less of a badass, and why would it? Because she's a woman? Seems like reverse sexism, to be honest. By that token, Iron Man, Thor and Captain America should be considered less than because they're in love with Pepper, Jane and Peggy, respectively. However, no one blinks an eye when the male superheroes have love interests.

Natasha deserves to be happy just like everyone else in the MCU, as should Bruce Banner. It's just my humble opinion that they be happy with other people. Namely Nat should be happy with Clint. With that being said, this is why I've decided to write this story.

Let me just give y'all a little heads up for this tale: the twins aren't in it, and neither is Ultron or Vision. I liked all these characters (I hated they killed Quicksilver, by the way), but let's face it, I was just introduced to them not too long ago, and to be honest, I'm not sure any of them would mesh well with the story I'm about to tell anyway. Part of this story will take place on Clint's farm, but let's just say that I'm going to have a totally different approach to it than the movie had. There's no Betty, either (I mean, come on…I had to Google her last name), but I'll find someone for Bruce. The story is mainly about Clint and Natasha, but Thor's featured a good bit as well (because I love him). The setting is slight AU, for example, SHIELD is still functioning, it's just on a smaller scale, as opposed to the film, which has SHIELD completely defunct. However, that's the cool thing about fan fiction. You can tweak the stories and make them your own. It's not the MCU here, it's the NCU. Lastly, the story has some tie ins with my last fic, "Alone Time" (SHIELD's operational status is one of them). Check it out if you haven't already. It's a hot Thor/Jane story.

Thus ends my author's note-or should I say, rant-on why I decided to write "Compromise of the Heart." I hope you all enjoy it! By the way, this one isn't for the kiddies, and it's not suitable for work, so I suggest you either read this on your cell phone during your lunch hour, or at home when the kids are away!

Love,

Notzi


	2. Chapter 1: The Vision

Chapter 1: The Vision

 _Eastern Alps, Southern Germany_

Natasha crouched behind a concrete barricade as gunfire fired upon it, slowly taking it apart piece by piece. She closed her eyes and took deep breaths, trying to stay focused. _Your target is only a few feet away_ , she thought. _Keep your head. They'll have to reload eventually._

Natasha's target was located inside of a mountain-a heavily guarded mountain that she and her teammates had to drop down to. Naturally, Thor and Tony flew down, whereas Bruce, who figured that the group may need all the help they could get, jumped down so he could transform into his dangerous alter ego. Once they were below, Steve created a pretty explosive distraction that lured the majority of the HYDRA henchmen out of the mountain to fight them. As the other Avengers took care of the thugs outside, Natasha's mission was to get inside and retrieve the prize. Her favorite wingman had was covering her, as usual, but seeing as the men guarding the entrance temporarily had her subdued, he must've gotten sidetracked.

The world began to move in slow motion, as it always did whenever Natasha was in this type of trouble. The bullets continued to hit the concrete barricade she was behind, causing bits of rubble to fall over her head. She could hear screams, gunshots and small explosions from the surrounding fight. At one point in time the heavens opened up and a bright flash of lightning came down, causing the Earth to shake. Thor had just caused that, no doubt. Natasha subconsciously grasped the small silver arrow pendant that was around her neck. _Stay strong. Don't buckle._

The trembling of the ground caused the men lose their footing and stop shooting for a split second. Natasha quickly noticed the window. _NOW!_ In a swift motion, she stood up and shot at the two men, hitting them both in the head. "The entrance is secure," Natasha said into her earpiece.

Before she could move on, she felt steel against the back of her head. Natasha knew exactly what it was, and who it was. One of the henchman must've found a means of escape from the ensuing battle, and came to the base of the mountain to fortify the security. Natasha figured that he decided to wait until either she took out the men, or they took her to out, before making his move. Once he saw that she took out the other guards, he must've decided to get up close and personal to make sure she was dead. That's the play she would've made.

" _Auf wiedersehen, fraulein,"_ the man growled, as he cocked the gun. Natasha was still armed with the two loaded guns in her hands, but at this close range, the thug definitely had the upper hand. He could easily kill her before she was even able to get a shot off. She closed her eyes, awaiting the bullet to pass through her brain. Instead, she heard the man grunt and fall to the ground like a sack of potatoes. Natasha turned around and saw him lying completely still with an arrow lodged in the back of his head. _That's my boy,_ she thought as she looked ahead and saw her hawk, standing a few yards away with his bow and arrow ready for any more surprises.

"Still got your back, Nat," Clint said into the earpiece.

Natasha grinned. "Never had a doubt."

"Get your ass in there," Clint told her, motioning towards the mountain.

With that, she darted through the entrance. There were a few more flunkies waiting for her inside, but she used her guns to take them out with ease. "I'm in the mountain," Natasha huffed as she continued running.

"The inside of the mountain has several rooms specialized for laboratory experiments, the assembly of weaponry and arsenal storage," JARVIS sounded over the earpiece. "The strongest signals from the beacon are coming from the room that's the furthest in the back."

"Chances are it's heavily guarded," Natasha heard Steve say.

"I figured that," Natasha answered. "Where are you guys?"

"Uhh…we're a little busy at the moment, Ms. Romanoff," Tony's voice sounded, with the sound of an explosion following.

"There is an overwhelming amount of reinforcements here," broadcasted Thor's voice. "We'll try to get back down to you as soon as we can."

"Don't worry, Nat," she heard Clint say. "I'm still at the opening. I'll make sure no one else gets in."

"That's why you're my wingman," Natasha said, still heading for the back of the mountain.

"I always figured you were _my_ wingman," Clint said.

Natasha chuckled as she dashed through the dimly lit cavernous compound. Two more men came at her, seemingly from nowhere. She quickly lunged at the man at her left without breaking stride, punching him square in the jaw. The other attempted to hit her in the face, but Natasha blocked his punch and jumped on his shoulders. In one quick move, she wrapped her legs around his neck and used her momentum to hastily lower her upper body to the ground, taking the assailant with her. She quickly punched the henchman in the face once he was down, effectively breaking the bridge of his nose and knocking him out.

Natasha took a quick look around for any more henchman and quickly zip tied the two men together. "Talk to me, JARVIS," she said.

JARVIS answered. "The target is thirty feet away, madame."

 _Haul ass, don't stop_ , she thought as she swiftly continued. There was another loud boom, causing the Earth to shake once again, and Natasha to pause for a brief second, betraying her command. Small bits of rocks and dust began to fall over her head.

"Let me guess," Natasha said. "Stark did that."

"My bad," Tony answered.

"Part of that was from Thor using his hammer on my shield," Steve said over the earpiece.

"Man, I wish I could lift that thing." Tony said again.

"You're nowhere near worthy, metal man," Thor told him.

Natasha headed back off towards the direction of the beacon. "That must be one hell of a fight out there."

"It is. And we haven't even gotten into the destruction that Hulk's caused," Tony said. "Go get what we came here for so we can get the hell out of here, Hot Pants."

"I warned you never to call me that," Natasha said, darkly.

She kept her unrelenting pace. More blasts sounded off, and they seemed to be closer to the mountain's entrance. Natasha assumed it was Clint using his explosive arrows. "You better hurry, Nat," Clint said, confirming her suspicions when she heard the detonations in the background. "It's starting to get a little thick over here, too."

"Roger that."

"You're nearly there, madame," JARVIS said as Natasha reached the back of the mountain. There was a steel door just ahead of her with the sign RESTRICTED ACCESS above it. Naturally, there was also one more guard just ahead of her as well, armed with an automatic weapon.

"Ah," he said with a thick German accent. "Black Widow. The Russian defector whore. I hoped it would be you and not those other freaks."

Natasha grinned. "You think it'd be easier to take me down?"

The guard shook his head. "Not at all. Your reputation precedes you." He lowered his weapon and placed it by his side. "Killing you will actually be a privilege. Do not worry about your friends. I will give them fast and honorable deaths as well. I especially look forward to killing the man in the cape."

Natasha shook her head, still grinning. "Don't let the cape fool you. He's tougher than he looks."

The guard grinned back. "Are you?"

Natasha removed her guns from their holsters and lowered them. The two opponents began to circle each other, waiting for the other to strike. _Let him make the first move_ , Natasha thought. _He'll screw up. His arrogance will see to that._

Sure enough, he lunged at Natasha, just as she expected. She quickly countered his move by taking hold of his arms and kneeing him in the stomach, causing him to bend over in pain. She gave him another hard kick to the face, sending him to the ground. Recovering quickly, the guard grabbed Natasha by the leg and pulled her down to the floor beside him. Landing on her back, Natasha responded by kicking him in the face once more and striking him in the gonads with a closed fist.

Natasha hurried to get back on her feet, and as she did, the guard grabbed a knife from his holster and sliced her back. She cried in pain as she rushed over to the steel door backwards, making sure to not lose sight of her opponent. The guard swiftly got up and rushed Natasha with the knife. Natasha grabbed his arm with both her hands and struggled to keep him from plunging the blade in her chest. The guard used his free hand to punch Natasha in the side to free her grip, but to no avail. Natasha gritted her teeth in pain as she tightened her hold on the thug's arm.

She kneed him twice in his already sore balls, and was able to gain enough momentum to direct the knife towards the guard's chest. The guard continued to punch Natasha in the same area to soften her up. _Concentrate!_ she thought as the pain in her lower torso began to intensify. _Do not let him over take you!_

The guard laughed and shook his head, seeing that his blows were weakening her resolve. "This is pathetic. I thought you were better than this. I hope the others are more of a challenge."

Natasha smirked. "You'll never know." She quickly stomped on his foot and delivered a hard knee to his gut, causing him to lose his concentration. Once Natasha saw her opportunity, she turned the knife completely inward towards him, driving it in the left side of his chest. The guard stared at her with shock in his eyes, gagging on the blood pouring out of his mouth. Natasha pushed him down to the ground and watched as his eyes closed and his body became still. She then turned back to the steel door, seeing that a handprint was needed to open it.

"Natasha, have you reached it?" Steve's voice sounded over the ear piece.

"Almost," Natasha answered. She grabbed the guard and dragged him over to the door. Taking his arm, she placed his hand over the apparatus.

"Access granted," a computerized voice said as the door slid open.

Natasha dropped the guard's arm and walked inside the room. She turned back to the guard. "Thank you for your cooperation," she said as the door began to slide shut.

Once the door closed, Natasha turned and laid eyes on the target. She stared at it, taken aback by its splendor.

Thor's voice sounded in her ear. "Do you see Loki's scepter?"

Natasha continued to stare at the object in front of her. "It's not the scepter."

"What do you mean?" she heard Steve say.

Natasha said nothing for a moment. The entity she continued to stare at was a stone. A glowing, pink gem that hovered above a steel pedestal. It was undoubtedly one of the most beautiful things she had ever seen, and she wasn't the type of woman that was enticed by diamonds and jewels. The temptation to reach out and touch it was overwhelming. Natasha slowly approached it, entranced by its glow.

"I don't understand," Thor said. "The beacon we received was coming from this exact area. Between the reinforcements and the signal, the scepter must be here."

"No," Natasha said, still gazing at the stone. "It's a gem. A pink gem."

JARVIS announced, "Agent Romanoff is correct. The scepter is not here, only a rose colored gemstone. I do not believe it is made of any type of substance here on Earth."

Thor responded, "Do not touch it, Natasha. If it is what I think it is, it cannot be touched by human hands. Now that the guards' numbers are dwindling we can meet you at the mountain to retrieve it."

Despite the warning, Thor's words went right through Natasha. She walked even closer to the gemstone, never removing her eyes from it.

"Nat do you copy?" Clint asked.

"Talk to us, Hot Pants," Tony said.

Natasha didn't answer them. She simply walked closer to the gem and reached out to it as if the glow emitted from the stone was calling out to her.

"Something's wrong. She didn't say anything when I called her 'Hot Pants,'" Tony said.

"Nat, say something!" Clint shouted on the other end of the earpiece.

Natasha still didn't respond. The only thing that mattered to her was getting close enough to the gem. Once she was within reach, she closed her fingers around the stone, causing a bright pink flash to burst from it and her body to jerk backward. Natasha gasped from the reflex and closed her eyes as the bright light seemingly went through her, warming and electrifying her entire body.

" _Natasha," she heard a familiar voice say to her._

 _Natasha opened her eyes and looked around. She was no longer in the mountain. Considering the warm climate and surrounding mid-western like countryside, it was safe to assume she was no longer in Germany. It was a beautiful autumn day, with red and orange leaves falling all around her. The tall trees enclosing her allowed small to mid-sized fragments of sunlight to shine through the branches. The setting was the epitome of picturesque._

" _Natasha," said the voice again._

 _Natasha looked to her right and saw Steve, standing beside her wearing a tuxedo. She looked down and realized she was dressed in an elegant white gown, holding a bouquet of flowers._

 _It was a wedding gown._

" _It's time," Steve said._

 _Before Natasha could respond, a symphony made up of violins and cellos began to play the wedding march. Steve offered Natasha his arm and she took it, reluctantly. Natasha looked ahead and saw the guests stand up as Steve led her down the aisle. She looked around. Nick Fury was standing before the bridal party, clearly officiating the wedding. Bruce was on the bride's side, standing next to Dr. Helen Cho. Tony was with Pepper, with his hand lovingly placed on her stomach. She saw Thor holding hands with a pretty brown haired woman who could be no other than Dr. Jane Foster. When Natasha passed Maria Hill, she couldn't help but notice her fellow agent intently staring at Steve. He looked back at her with a naughty grin on his face._

 _The emotions she was feeling were overwhelming her. Confusion, serenity, but most of all happiness. Natasha never felt so happy in her life, nor had she ever felt such a sense of peace. Despite all that, she still couldn't help but be bemused at the change of events. How did she get here? What happened at the mountain? And how is it that she and Steve were getting married, of all people?_

 _Steve and Natasha finally made their way to their positions. "Who gives this woman away?" Nick asked._

" _I do," Steve replied. Natasha looked over at him, shocked. He simply smiled and kissed her on the cheek. "Good luck," he whispered. He then left her and went to take his seat beside Maria._

 _Now she was even more bewildered._ If I'm not marrying Steve, _she thought,_ who the hell am I marrying?

Natasha was still in the mountain, holding on to the gemstone, and staring at nothing. "Nat I'm goin' in! Hold on!" Clint's voice boomed on the other end of the earpiece. Natasha still didn't respond. She only stared listlessly into space, with her fist tightly closed around the gem. The jewel glowed brightly in her hand.

She failed to notice that the guard had entered the room, with his own knife still plunged in his chest, and a gun aimed right at her head.

"You stupid bitch," he muttered. "My heart is on the _right_ side of my chest."


	3. Chapter 2: Rendezvous

Chapter 2: Rendezvous

Clint hurried inside the mountain, stopping every few yards to draw his bow in case there were any more surprises. "JARVIS, give me a status on Nat," he requested.

"Agent Romanoff is still in the back of the mountain," JARVIS answered. "All her vital signs are active, but she appears to be in some type of entranced state from the gemstone. You must hurry. One of the HYDRA guards has entered the restricted access area."

"On it. Where are the rest of you?" Clint asked the other Avengers.

Steve answered. "We're on our way down now. Hold on!"

With no other opposition in the mountain, Clint was able to make his way to the back of the mountain a bit easier than Natasha did. Once he got there, he was in clear view of the guard holding a gun at the back of Natasha's head. She had her back turned, seemingly oblivious to what was going on.

The guard cocked the gun and aimed it at the back of Natasha's head once more, ready to end her. Clint quickly shot an arrow at the guard, penetrating his wrist. He dropped the gun and grabbed his wounded arm, screaming in agony. The sudden noise caused Natasha's vision to end, and she whipped around just in time to see the guard standing behind her, holding his wrist and glaring at her hawk. She still had the glowing jewel gripped tightly in her hand.

"You're dead!" the guard screamed at Clint.

The guard attempted to approach Clint, while the SHIELD agent readied another arrow. Natasha simply stared at the guard, still holding on to the gem. Suddenly the guard stopped midstride, his eyes the size of saucers. He began to hold on to his chest and buckled over in pain. Groaning, he turned around and looked at Natasha who was still staring intently at him. It was then that Clint noticed…the irises of Natasha's eyes were pink.

The guard groaned even louder and slumped to the floor, as Natasha held her glare on him. "What…what are you doing to me?" the guard managed to get out. Natasha didn't answer him.

Finally the guard's head hit the ground, and he lay there, unmoving. His eyes were wide open, but he was staring at nothing. Clint ran over to him and checked his pulse. There was none. Clint then looked up at Natasha, whose eyes were still pink and still fixated on the guard. "Did I find your heart that time?" she asked the dead man.

Clint went over to her. "Nat?"

Natasha's pink eyes went from the dead guard to Clint. She said nothing.

"Nat, talk to me."

She simply placed both her hands on either side of his face, caressing him, her pink eyes staring into his. Before Clint could say anything, Natasha placed her lips on his, giving him a sweet, yet closed mouth kiss. It was enough to make Clint drop his bow.

"Nat?" Clint asked again once Natasha removed her lips from his.

"We have to leave," she simply said. She walked away, leaving Clint standing there, bewildered. He managed to regain his composure and grabbed his bow.

"Nat!" he shouted as he followed her out of the mountain. Natasha continued walking out of the HYDRA facility without answering him, never breaking stride.

By the time the two of them reached the opening, Tony and Thor touched down to meet them. Steve soon arrived by foot.

"Now that's freaky," Tony said, noting the change in Natasha's eye color.

Steve noticed Natasha's fist clasped around the glowing gemstone. "What is that?"

"Natasha, you must release it," Thor said.

A loud roar emerged from the trees. The Hulk came crashing towards them, completely enraged. He took one look at Natasha and rushed up to her, roaring. Clint readied one of his stunning arrows.

"You may want to take cover, Pink Eye," Tony remarked.

Natasha just stared back at the green rage monster as Clint aimed his bow at him. Hulk noticed the bow and roared once again, raising a huge closed fist. Before he could drive it upon Clint's head, Natasha held up her free hand, never removing her gaze from the creature. Hulk stopped dead in his tracks.

The other Avengers stared dumbfounded as Hulk returned Natasha's glare with a confused look on his face. After a few seconds had passed, his body began to jerk, and small whimpers could be heard budding from his throat. He stumbled away from Natasha as his body began to shrink down to size. Natasha's pink eyes followed him.

Hulk shrank more and more, as the green tint to his body began to fade. Soon the Hulk had metamorphosed back into Dr. Bruce Banner, who was now disoriented and cowering on the ground.

"Holy shit," Tony muttered.

Thor approached Natasha, causing her stare to leave Bruce and go to him. "Natasha, please. You must release the stone." He paused for a moment and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Please."

A look of resignation seemed to appear on Natasha's face, and she released her grip on the gem, allowing it to fall to the ground. Once she did, the combination of extreme fatigue and blood loss from her knife wound caused her to pass out. Dropping his bow, Clint caught her and took her into his arms before she could hit the terrain.

Steve walked up to the stone and reached for it. "No, I would not-" Thor began, stopping mid-sentence once he saw Steve pick it up with no problems. The gem was no longer glowing.

"I don't understand. Why isn't it glowing?" Steve asked.

"Maybe it only works with hot chicks," Tony answered.

"Whatever it is, it's dangerous," Clint said. "You guys just saw a fraction of the crazy shit I just witnessed."

Steve placed the gem inside a compartment in the belt he was wearing. "We'll take it back to SHIELD to get more insight. If HYDRA was that interested in this thing, they probably had some serious plans for it. Barton, you take Romanoff. Thor, take care of Banner."

Thor nodded and came over to Bruce, who was still cowering on the ground. The giant Asgardian stood the short statured scientist up and placed an arm around his waist. "Hold on tightly, my friend." With that, Thor swung Mjolnir a few times and burst into the air, taking Bruce with him.

"Need me to give Hot Pants a boost?" Tony asked Clint.

Clint shook his head, making his way towards the quinjet with Natasha in his arms. "I got her."

Tony and Steve watched Clint carry Natasha off, both grinning. "Look like he does," Steve remarked. With that, Tony took off into the air as Steve followed Clint.

 _Verona, Italy – SHIELD Rendezvous_

The quinjet landed a few hours later on a large hilltop, overlooking the beautiful city of Verona. The Avengers disembarked soon afterward, with Tony out of his armor and Clint carrying Natasha once again. She had remained unconscious during the entire flight. They entered a mid-sized cathedral a few feet away. The inside of the building was just like any normal church with pews, lit candles, and a priest standing by the altar.

"Enter, my children," the priest said. "Are you here for confession?"

"You got it, padre," Tony answered.

"We'll need some spiritual healing, too," Clint said, walking forward with Natasha.

The priest eyed her. "Indeed. This way."

The priest led the group to the confessional. He entered on his side, while the others walked through the opposite section. Once the doors were closed, the confessional was revealed to be an elevator. The priest hit a button. "Six to enter, one of them needs the infirmary," he said.

"Going down now," announced a computerized voice.

The elevator went down nearly fifty feet before finally stopping. The doors opened to reveal a handful of SHIELD agents working. The Avengers exited the elevator. "Thanks for your time, padre," Tony said to the priest.

"It is always a pleasure, my son," the priest replied before the doors shut again.

Dr. Helen Cho approached them with a few other members of the medical staff and a gurney. "How is she?" she asked as Clint laid Natasha down.

"She's been unresponsive since we left Germany," Clint told the doctor.

"She encountered some type of gem," Steve added.

Helen nodded. "Right. We'll take it from here. Let's get her to room twelve for observation."

"Let me know when she comes to," Clint said.

"I will," Helen said as she pushed the gurney towards the room.

Bruce laid a hand on Clint's shoulder. "Don't worry. Dr. Cho is an excellent physician. She'll take good care of her."

Clint nodded in resignation and followed the other Avengers to the meeting room. Once they entered the room, they all sat at a huge round table with Nick Fury standing at the head of it. Nick's back was turned to him, his attention completely intent on the multiple monitors he was watching. "Please tell me you found something," he said, still not facing the team.

Steve raised his eyebrows. "Yeah, we found _something_ , but it wasn't exactly what we came out there for."

Nick turned around, giving the team his full attention. "What was it?"

Steve opened the compartment in his belt and removed the pink jewel, placing it on the table. "That."

All of them stared at the gem in awe but Thor, who eyed it with contempt. "It must be destroyed," he said.

Tony shook his head. "No, I wanted to get Pepper one of those."

"Trust me, that's no diamond," Bruce said.

"Exactly," Clint agreed. "You may wanna keep that as far away from Pepper as possible."

"What exactly is it?" Nick asked them.

"I'm certain it is an infinity stone," Thor answered. "I've never seen or heard of this one, but its power is far too strong for it not to be one of the cosmic gems."

Bruce picked up the stone and studied it, which was still without its fantastic glow and no longer levitating. "Not doubting your word Thor, but I thought there were four infinity stones: blue, yellow, red and purple. No one's ever mentioned a pink one."

"There are four _known_ infinity stones," Thor told him. "My father told me that there are many others that we have not yet discovered, spread out amongst the nine realms. This one must've been hidden here on Earth, and the HYDRA minions must've found it. For all we know, it may have been mined from the exact mountain we found it in."

Nick walked over to Bruce and took the stone from him. "How can you be so sure? Looks like a plain jewel."

Clint was the first to answer. "Sir, Natasha was holding that stone while she was in the mountain. Her eyes were glowing pink, and she actually had the ability to make one of the HYDRA agents go into cardiac arrest."

Tony looked at Clint in disbelief. "Wait a minute. Hot Pants made an agent's heart stop?"

Clint nodded. "Just by staring at him."

"Don't forget, she was able to make me transform from the Hulk to myself again," Bruce added.

Now Nick was the one to raise his eyebrows. "Really?"

"All she had to do was look at him," Steve said.

"Not only that," Clint began, "but the minute Nat dropped that stone she passed out, and she hasn't been lucid since."

Nick placed the stone back on the table. "Right now it doesn't seem to be doing anything."

Tony shrugged. "For some reason it only reacted to Simply Red."

Thor tilted his head in misunderstanding as Clint rolled his eyes. "Simply Red?" Thor asked.

"Natasha," Tony explained. "You know, she's got red hair…there was a soul group in the 80's named Simply Red…"

Tony voice trailed off as Thor continued to stare at him, befuddled. "You've really got to start brushing up on your Earth culture, big guy," Tony told him. Steve covertly took a pad out of his belt and used a nearby pen to write _Simply Red_ on his list of modern things to learn about.

"Show Thor the list while you're at," Tony quickly said, turning to Steve. Steve sneered and quickly put the pad away.

"We'll take the stone back with us to Avengers Tower," Nick said. "I'd really like to know how it managed to make one of my agents have supernatural powers."

"Not only that," Bruce began, "but how did she unlock its power?"

Nick took the stone and placed it in a clear container. "Questions that we'll have the answers to once it's studied by our people."

Bruce stood up. "Sir, if it pleases you, I'd like to lead the other scientists in the studies."

Nick gave him a look of surprise. "Well actually, Dr. Banner, I was planning on giving you and the others the week off."

Tony piped up. "Really?"

Nick spoke again. "You all have been chasing Loki's scepter for the last few months. I believe you're all due for just a few days of peace, Natasha especially."

"But we haven't found the scepter yet," Thor said.

"Yeah, I know. But even God rested after he did his work. I'm guessing you all can do the same thing. So do me a favor and rejuvenate yourselves for the next few days. I need you at your best when we get back out there to find the scepter."

Just then, Helen burst into the room. "Clint, Natasha's awake."

Clint jumped out of his chair and bolted out of the room. "Aren't the rest of you guys going?" Nick asked.

"We'll wait until after they've had some time to themselves," Steve said.

Nick nodded in agreement. "Right."

In the recovery room, Natasha sat up in bed, feeling as if she had drank an entire bottle of tequila the night before. She took a deep breath and held her head, trying to make sense of the last few hours. She remembered the glowing jewel, and wanting nothing more than to take a hold of it. The HYDRA henchman clutching his chest briefly popped into her mind, before giving way to the vision of her wedding. The scene was beautiful. There was only one person missing…

"Hey," Clint announced, stepping into the room.

Natasha looked up and smiled. "Hey," she said weakly.

"Natasha, I'll be back to check on you in a few moments," Helen said, heading back out the door. "There were a few other agents coming in that need me. Let one of the other medical assistants know if you need anything in the meantime, okay?"

"Sure," Natasha said, nodding. Helen smiled and walked out, leaving her and Clint alone.

Clint sat on the gurney she was laying on. "How you feelin'?"

Natasha groaned. "Like shit run over twice."

Clint began to laugh, and Natasha laughed along with him. "Well, I'm glad that you're finally up," he said once he finished laughing. "You really had the rest of us scared."

"It was weird…the minute I touched that stone I started to hallucinate."

"About what?"

"It was…" Natasha's voice trailed off, as she inexplicably found the vision hard to talk about.

Clint looked at her quizzically. "Yeah?"

Natasha sat up and waved her hand in dismissal. "Don't worry about it. It's nothing."

Once she sat up, Clint noticed a blood stain on the gurney. "The knife wound's still seeping," he said.

He got up and located some alcohol, gauze and sutures. "Maybe I should call one of the med assistants," Natasha said.

Clint scoffed. "Did you forget that I actually have a certification as a med assistant?"

Natasha grinned. "I didn't forget. But it's been a while. You might be out of practice."

Clint walked back over to her. "You must've also forgotten about me patching you up after our Iranian mission. Did I or did I not do such a good job, that you didn't leave any scars after the wounds healed?"

Natasha nodded. "It's true. You did. But like I said-"

"Trust me, it's like riding a bike," Clint said, cutting her off. "Have I ever let you down, Nat?"

Natasha smiled and shook her head. "No, you haven't. You're my wingman."

Clint smiled back at her. "Good. Now take off the cat suit."

Natasha's smile faded. "What?"

Clint shrugged. "How else can I get to the wound? Just undo the top part."

Natasha could feel her body become red hot with embarrassment and nervousness. _What the hell is wrong with you? It's just Clint._

Clint covered his eyes. "I promise I won't look." He began to make his way behind her with his eyes still covered, using his free hand as a guide.

Natasha sighed and unzipped her jump suit, still bewildered at how self-conscious she was all of a sudden. "For the record, it's not a cat suit. It's tactical gear."

"Right," Clint said, in his best attempt to sound serious.

"Smartass," Natasha muttered with a grin. Once she unzipped the suit, she pulled it down to her waist. "I'm ready," she said.

Clint uncovered his eyes and saw Natasha sitting in front of him, partially in all her glory due to her keeping her bra on. He looked at her for a moment, admiring her beautiful body.

"Wow," he whispered, wishing she'd turn around and slowly slip the brassiere off. To add insult to injury, the memory of the kiss she placed on his lips came rushing back to his mind. It may have been short and sweet, but that kiss was still enough to cause all the blood in his body to rush towards his groin.

"What's wrong?" Natasha asked.

Clint quickly shook the image out of his head. "Nothing."

He placed the gauze strip on the knife wound, causing Natasha to jump. The liquid burned, but Clint's cool and calloused fingers were enough to make her body tingle. She was beginning to find it a bit hard to breathe.

"Now we just have to get you stitched up," Clint said, gently cleaning the cut. Natasha nodded in agreement as Clint readied the sutures. Once he started to sew her up, Natasha let out a sharp hiss.

Although he heard her, Clint continued to concentrate on the laceration. "Am I hurting you?"

"I'm good," Natasha answered.

He looked down and noticed the huge bruise on the side of her torso. "Damn, Nat. You're a mess. You may wanna get that bruise looked at in case there's some internal bleeding."

Natasha closed her eyes and gritted her teeth as Clint threaded the wound together. "I'm okay, really."

Clint chuckled. "You know, you don't have to do that."

"What? What did I do?"

"Nat, we all know you're tough. But it's okay to show a little vulnerability sometime."

Natasha rolled her eyes. "Are you kidding me? I'm vulnerable around you all the time."

A look of surprise appeared on Clint's face. "No shit?"

Natasha scoffed. "Clint, I tell you everything. Russia, the Red Room…I even told you about how Loki got to me."

Clint nodded, still concentrating on the wound. "Yeah, you did."

"You think I don't expose myself because I'm not huddled up in a corner bawling my eyes out?"

"I'd have to see that to believe it," Clint joked.

Natasha chuckled. "The point is, I've told you things that I've never told anyone." She paused and smiled to herself. "You're my best friend."

Clint grinned as he finished suturing Natasha's wound. "Just so you know, you're my best friend, too."

Natasha turned her head towards him, still smiling. Clint returned her smile and took her hand. "Is this vulnerable enough for you?" Natasha asked.

Clint thought about it for a minute. "Yeah…a little too much. Pretty damn sappy, to be honest."

They both started laughing when the door opened again. This time, the rest of the team came pouring in, closing the door behind themselves. "Whoa," Tony said upon seeing Natasha with her clothes undone.

"All of you turn around," Natasha said, darkly.

"Yes ma'am," Steve said, as he, Bruce and Thor turned away from her.

Tony continued to face her. "Barton can see you half naked, but we can't?"

"Turn," Thor grunted through gritted teeth, forcing Tony to turn around.

"I'm treating her wounds while the doc is busy," Clint said, as he bandaged the cut. "There," he said once he finished his work. "You're done."

Natasha put the top half of her suit back on and zipped it up. "Thanks, Clint. You boys can turn around now."

The men all faced her as Clint took a seat beside Natasha on the gurney. "We came to see how you were doing," Thor said. "Are you alright?"

Natasha nodded. "Aside from a few cuts and bruises, I'm fine."

"We were worried about you for a minute," Steve told her.

"What exactly happened when I touched that stone?" Natasha asked.

"It was like _The Exorcist_ , only scarier," Tony answered.

"Your eyes turned a strange shade of pink," Steve said. "It was like you were in some sort of hypnotized state."

Bruce took a deep breath before he answered. "You were able to make me change just by looking at me."

A look of surprise appeared on Natasha's face. "Seriously?"

Clint nodded. "And you stopped a man's heart…just by looking at him."

Natasha thought for a second. "The HYDRA agent?"

"You remember?" Clint asked.

"I just remember him trying to kill me…and later he was coming after you." Natasha placed her head in hands and sharply exhaled. "Everything that happened after I touched that stone is in bits and pieces." Clint couldn't help but be slightly disappointed that she didn't remember the kiss.

"Perhaps you should rest here for the night," Thor said. "We believe that stone is an infinity gem, and it is very dangerous."

"I agree," Steve said.

"No, she should rest after we go out tonight," Tony said.

Natasha turned her attention to Tony. "Go out where?"

"Fury gave us the entire week off. The entire week. We're going to Berfi's tonight to celebrate."

"Uhh…what exactly is Berfi's?" Bruce asked.

"Just the hottest nightclub in Verona," Tony answered.

Steve huffed. "Classic Stark. Making plans without telling us anything."

"Yeah, you didn't say anything about going to a club earlier," Clint said.

Tony shrugged. "I just told you, Legolas. Besides, tonight's 80's night. We can't miss it."

Natasha's attention suddenly went to the closed door. "Helen's coming back," she said, her eyes fixed on the entrance.

Helen walked through the door just then, making Clint jump. "Hello, everyone."

Everyone stared at the doctor in amazement, except Natasha, who was the epitome of stoicism. "That was just a coincidence." Tony said.

"What was?" Helen asked.

Tony waved his hand in dismissal. "Nothing."

"How'd you know she was coming?" Clint whispered to Natasha.

Natasha shook her head and simply answered, "I just knew."

Helen turned to Bruce. "It's nice to see you, Dr. Banner. There was so much commotion going on earlier, I didn't get a chance to say hello to you."

Bruce blushed and shyly smiled. "It's good to see you, too. How's your research on nanomolecular therapy going?"

Helen smiled. "Very well, thank you. In fact, there's a possibly that our patient today may be our first subject."

"Meaning what exactly?" Clint asked.

Natasha gave a soft laugh. "She wants to see if she can heal my wound by re-growing the tissue."

Clint raised his eyebrows in understanding. "Oh. I knew that." Natasha chuckled and gave Clint a playful little push.

"That sounds very impressive," Thor said with a smile.

Helen blushed and giggled, causing Bruce to roll his eyes. "Thank you," she said, bashfully turning away from him.

"Really and truly, the cut's already been taken care of. Clint was nice enough to suture it for me while you were out," Natasha said.

Helen smiled and nodded in approval. "Well done, Agent Barton. So, the wound was superficial?"

"Yep," Clint answered. "Just a scratch. Nothing that'll keep Nat down."

Natasha and Clint exchanged a smile as Tony muttered, "All this sap is giving me diabetic shock."

Steve quickly struck him on the shoulder for the comment. "You hit pretty hard for an old man," Tony told him.

Helen pulled out her stethoscope and began to listen to Natasha's heart. "You may have gotten stitched up, but I'd like to examine you a bit further just in case."

"Really, I feel fine," Natasha protested.

"You may feel okay, but I'd feel better if I checked you out. If you have a clean bill of health, you'll be free to join your friends later tonight."

"I believe that may be best," Thor said. "It's possible that the stone could have caused other effects to your body."

Steve nodded. "I agree with Thor. Letting the doctor look you over wouldn't hurt."

Once she saw the pleading looks on Bruce's and even Tony's face, Natasha couldn't help but be slightly amused. She glanced over at Clint and saw that he wore the same expression. "You guys aren't gonna let up, are you?"

Clint shook his head. "Nope."

Natasha held up her hands. "Okay, I give up. I'll do it."

Helen beamed. "Wise decision. Gentlemen, do you mind leaving us the room for a few minutes?"

"Of course," Bruce said, returning her smile.

Helen blushed again. "Thank you, Dr. Banner."

"Berfi's after?" Tony asked Natasha.

"We'll see," Natasha answered.

"You need me to stay?" Clint asked Natasha as the other men filed out.

Natasha shook her head. "No, I'll be fine."

"Okay. I'll be right outside if you need me."

Natasha placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'm good. Thanks."

Clint got off the gurney and headed towards the door. "Take care of her," he said to Helen before leaving.

"She's in good hands, Agent," Helen assured him. Clint took one last look at Natasha, and left the room, closing the door behind him.

 _Eastern Alps, Southern Germany_

Darkness was descending on the mountain. There were no visible signs of life outside the elevation aside from the few animals that were brave enough to come out now that the fighting had ceased. However, when the earth began to tremble, those same animals ran for cover. A blinding bright light shone through the dusky sky, and illuminated the ground below, simultaneously causing the earth to shake even more. The fantastic light beamed down for a few seconds more before disappearing altogether, revealing a tall, beautiful blonde flanked by six handsome men who were also towering in stature.

The woman looked around the area, noticing the lifeless bodies of the HYDRA agents lying around the mountain. "Mortals," she sneered in disgust. "It's no wonder they're lower lifeforms."

"It may still be here, my lady," one of the men said to her.

The woman quickly turned on him. "Have you lost your senses? Look around you! Obviously whoever killed them all has the stone."

"It wouldn't hurt to search, my lady."

The woman scoffed. "Since you're so optimistic, you can search for the gemstone."

The man bowed and motioned to three of the other men to join him. They stealthily headed into the mountain as the woman and the three others slowly followed behind.

"Who else could have known about the stone and caused all this damage?" asked one of the men escorting the woman.

"I'll be sure to find out before I rip out his heart," she said curtly.

After she and the other three men made their way into the mountain, they soon came across the HYDRA agents that Natasha had zip tied together earlier, one with a broken jaw and the other with a broken nose. They were trying their best to stand on their own feet, but miserably failing, due the fact that their backs were against each other's.

When they fell to the ground after the fifth attempt, the agent with the broken nose noticed the people that were approaching them. "Lady Lorelei," he said. "We were not expecting you."

"And I was not expecting to come here and find my property stolen," she said. "We were generous enough to offer you our services in destroying your enemies in exchange for you mining the stone. How did you manage to lose it?"

The agent with the broken nose took a deep breath, trying to concentrate past the pain of his throbbing nose and aching arms. "It was the Avengers. They infiltrated the mountain and stole the stone."

Lorelei suddenly piped up. "The Avengers? Was Thor among them?"

The agent nodded. "Yes, I do believe he was. But he never came into the mountain. The red woman did. She stole the jewel."

Lorelei diverted her eyes upward for a moment, as if she were taking the report in. "The red woman. Who is she?"

"She is a spy that works for SHIELD. A traitor to her home country. They call her the Black Widow."

Lorelei gave a humorless chuckle. "The Black Widow, is she? And now she wields my stone?"

Before the agent could answer, the other three men returned to Lorelei. "You were right, my lady. The stone has been taken from the mountain."

Lorelei sighed. "Of course it has, you imbecile. Now I must find this red woman…and Thor."

"We can help you, my lady," the broken nose agent said.

Lorelei gave him an evil grin. "You've done enough. Through your actions, you allowed the red woman to steal it in the first place. Your incompetence will not go unpunished."

Fear filled the eyes of the two men. "Please, my lady. We will do whatever you ask. Just say it and-"

Lorelei quickly cut him off, by holding up her and cringing. "I do not want to hear your incessant whining. It makes my ears ache."

She lowered her hand and evilly grinned again. "I will spare your lives-"

The broken nose agent gave a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Lady Lorelei."

"Only if the other man begs my forgiveness," she finished, grinning even wider.

The other agent-whose jaw was so fractured that the bone could actually be seen sticking out of place-widened his eyes in horror.

Lorelei kneeled next to him. "Go on," she whispered, running her hand through his hair. "Plead for your life." She stood back up and waited. The agent tried to move his mouth, but only managed to squeal in pain, thanks to his broken jaw.

"I cannot hear you," Lorelei gloated. "Speak more clearly."

He attempted to mumble and groan out his words, but they were grossly unintelligible. Lorelei looked at him with an amused expression on her face.

"Time's up," she said, gleefully. She then turned to her foot soldiers. "Dispose of them both."

She walked away wearing the same devilish grin as the other men drew their spears and impaled the men to death. As she exited the mountain, she heard the HYDRA agent's screams, causing her smile to become even wider.

 **Stay tuned for chapter 3! Thanks to everyone that a fan of the story!**


	4. Chapter 3: Katniss and Gale at Berfi's

Chapter 3: Katniss and Gale at Berfi's

 _Verona, Italy – Berfi's Club_

Natasha sat at the bar of the extravagant club, dressed in a sleeveless silver blouse, black skinny jeans and silver glittery platform pumps. She threw a shot of tequila down her throat as the song "Blue Monday" played from the DJ booth, trying to make sense of the last few hours. Helen deemed Natasha to be in perfect physical health aside from the injuries she sustained during her mission, but despite the exam, something felt slightly off.

" _Barista,_ " Natasha said, flagging the bartender down.

" _Sí, signorina,"_ the bartender said, approaching her.

Natasha held up her empty shot glass. " _Un altro, per favore._ "

The bartender smiled. "Of course, _signorina_ ," he exclaimed. "All Avengers drink free!" He quickly poured another shot and handed it to her.

Natasha raised her glass as a toast. " _Salud._ "

The moment she tilted her head to swallow the liquor, she could see Clint coming behind her, donning a black leather jacket, a flannel shirt and jeans. Natasha was amazed, considering that she never turned around to actually look at him. The second Clint sat down, he knocked over an empty champagne flute that was sitting on the bar nearby. Before she could put her shot glass down, Natasha quickly grabbed the glass mid fall and casually sat it back down on the bar. She turned her shot glass upside down and faced Clint. He stared at her, completely befuddled.

"That was pretty impressive," Clint said. "Even by your standards."

"What happened with the other boys?" Natasha asked, trying to keep the subject off her.

"Stark's drunk off his ass-"

"Of course," Natasha cut in.

"Steve's whining about the music-who in their right mind doesn't like 80's music?"

Natasha chuckled. "A 98 year old man whose favorite music was played four decades earlier."

"Well, Thor's older than him, and he's not complaining. But then again, he's not doing too much of anything tonight."

Natasha shrugged. "Maybe he's more inclined to harpsichords and lutes." She and Clint began to laugh.

"What about Bruce?" Natasha asked.

"He's too busy trying to keep Stark out of trouble."

"I guess you're just stuck with me tonight, then."

Clint gave her a grin. "That's not too bad."

Natasha looked at him for a second and quickly turned away once she felt her cheeks turn red. "So what are you drinkin'?" she asked.

"Whatever you were having," Clint answered.

Natasha flagged the bartender down again. " _Altri due tequila_ , _per favore_."

"Yes, of course!" the bartender exclaimed, pouring the shots. "All Avengers drink free!"

Once the bartender finished dispensing the liquor, Clint and Natasha gulped down their shots. Natasha laughed the minute she saw Clint grimacing from the tequila. "Damn, that's some strong stuff!"

"Patrón," a female voice said behind them. "It's the best."

Clint turned around and saw a pretty brunette standing behind him, smiling. "Laura!" he exclaimed, giving her a hug and a soft kiss on the lips. "Brand New Lover" began to blast from the speakers.

"Hey, Nat!" Laura said once she noticed Natasha.

Natasha smiled. "Hi, Laura. How are you?"

"I'm great!"

"What are you doing here?" Clint asked.

"Well, we had an assignment here in Verona," Laura told him. "After all, this is the hometown of Romeo and Juliet. We all decided to have a drink here at Berfi's after work since everyone kept raving about it. Were you on a mission?"

"That's classified," Clint said. Laura giggled and wrapped her arms around him again, this time laying a longer, deeper kiss on his lips.

Natasha simply turned away from them during their exchange and played with one of her empty shot glasses. Laura was a photojournalist that Clint started dating about a month or so ago. Natasha liked Laura, she really did. Laura was sweet. Laura was giving. Laura was genuine. Laura was loyal.

Laura needed to take a hike.

As nice as she was, Laura was completely wrong for Clint. She'd never understand what he did for a living. He could get called away at a moment's notice, without hesitating to put his life on the line. Natasha could take one look at Laura and see that she wasn't the type of woman that could really handle having a husband-or even a serious boyfriend-with that type of occupation. And speaking of a serious boyfriend, whenever the subject of Laura did come up, Clint would make it known that they were "just having fun." Laura on the other hand, always seemed like she was ready to pick out china patterns and name their future children.

"Let me introduce you to the guys," Clint said, taking Laura by the hand.

"Really?" Laura asked. "Iron Man, Captain America and Thor are here?"

"The Hulk, too. But he's not green right now."

"Ooh, I can't wait!" Laura squealed.

Clint walked off from the bar with Laura in tow. "I'll be back later, Nat!" he said as he headed towards the restaurant section.

"Nice seeing you again, Nat!" Laura said, waving.

Natasha waved back and turned to face the bartender, all while releasing a deep sigh. " _Barista, dove é ll bagno?"_

"The restroom is on the opposite end of the club, _signorina_ ,"

" _Grazzi._ "

Natasha rose from the bar and headed towards the back of the club. As she made her way to the bathroom, she saw Clint introducing Laura to the other men, with his arm wrapped around her waist. She looked away, with her stomach tied in knots as she continued walking. _What the hell is wrong with you tonight?_

Some time later, Natasha emerged from the bathroom and saw Laura sitting on Clint's lap, still chit-chatting with Steve, Bruce and Tony. Thor, on the other hand, was sitting at a table by himself, deep in thought. Natasha watched him for a second and walked over to his table as "Broken Wings" played. The minute he saw her he stood up.

Natasha smiled and held up her hand. "Please, don't get up. You want some company?"

"Yes, of course," Thor said as he walked over to the opposite end of the table and pulled out her chair.

Natasha sat down, visibly impressed. "Thank you. Most men here could learn something from you."

Thor sat back in his seat, his good mood seemingly gone. "I highly doubt it."

"Are you okay? You look as bad as I feel."

Thor's eyes narrowed. "Are you alright?"

 _Dammit,_ Natasha thought to herself. "I'm fine," she lied. "Just tired from the mission. What's going on with you?"

"Why do you think something's going on with me?"

Natasha grinned and motioned to the food and drink on the table. "First of all, you haven't touched your dinner or your wine."

"Perhaps I'm not as hungry as I thought."

Natasha playfully scoffed. "Thor, I know you. You're always hungry. And you're not even talking to the fellas."

"The metal man is grating my nerves with his drunken idiocy."

"That, I totally understand. But you never have any problems with Bruce, Clint or Steve-Steve, especially. What's wrong?"

Thor let out a sigh before sigh before answering. "We still haven't located the scepter. I don't understand how we can celebrate and take time to ourselves when it's still out there."

"It's not like your brother's coming back to use it."

"Yes, but someone else that's just as deranged may stumble upon it. And then where would we be?"

"Don't worry," Natasha said, placing her hand on his. "We'll find it. It's just gonna take a little more time than we thought."

"In the meantime, we've uncovered something that's equally dangerous."

Natasha's body became slightly rigid, but she quickly recovered so Thor wouldn't notice. "The gem's in the right hands now. You don't have to worry about someone using it for planetary domination on our watch."

Thor sighed again. "Perhaps you're right."

Natasha crossed her arms and grinned. "I have a feeling there's something else bothering you."

Thor gave a slight nod. "I miss her."

Natasha's smile widened. "I can't wait to meet the lady that managed to steal the heart of a god."

Thor smiled. "You'd like her. I believe you'd like my friend Sif, as well. You remind me of her."

"Colson told me about her. I consider the comparison a compliment."

"As you should." He paused and his smiled faded as he continued. "I just feel as if I've spent all this time away from her for nothing."

"We've got some time off for a while. Use this time to talk meet up with her, or least give her a call."

"Jane had to leave London soon after I did. She was in Paris for a while, but she had to leave and go to another country. I'm not exactly sure where she is right now."

Natasha grinned. "That's not a problem."

Thor looked at her, puzzled. Before he could ask her what she meant, a female voice from a few feet away called out, "Hey, you two!"

Thor and Natasha looked over to see Maria and Helen coming over, both wearing sexy black vinyl dresses. Thor stood up once the ladies came up to the table.

"Wow, what a gentleman," Helen gushed. Maria raised her eyebrows and smiled, obviously impressed.

"The two of you look beautiful tonight, as usual," Maria complemented.

"As do you ladies," Natasha replied.

Though the light in the club was dim, Thor's reddening face was painfully obvious. "Thank you for the compliment."

"So what brings you two out tonight?" Natasha asked.

"We heard you were enjoying Berfi's infamous 80's night, and we figured that we'd join you," Maria answered. "You're not the only ones that can have a good time."

Natasha grinned. "Right."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Maria asked.

"The guys you really wanna hang out with are over there," Natasha said, pointing in Steve and Bruce's direction.

Helen feigned offense. "How desperate do you think we are? You think we'd get dressed up and come all the way out here just to see Steve and Bruce?"

Now Natasha was the one to raise her eyebrows. "I never said you came here to see Steve and Bruce."

Helen was about to retort, when she realized she said too much, leaving her mouth O-shaped. "I can't believe I fell into that."

"I can't, either," Maria mumbled.

"Fellas, look who's here!" Natasha shouted, motioning for the other men to join them.

"Really, Natasha?" Maria groaned as the men walked over. Natasha just grinned mischievously at her.

"Check it out. More hens joining the roosters," Tony slurred before taking another drink.

Bruce shook his head in shame as Laura and Clint laughed, holding each other. Natasha found herself quickly turning her head away from them.

"Ignore him," Bruce advised. "It's nice to see you lovely ladies out tonight."

"Thank you," Maria said. Helen simply blushed, giving Bruce another shy smile. Maria turned to Clint and Laura, beaming.

"You must be Laura," she said. "We've heard a lot about you. I'm Maria Hill, and this is Dr. Helen Cho."

Laura shook Maria and Helen's hands. "It's nice to meet you both. I've heard a lot about you, too. I still can't believe I finally get to meet the Earth's Mightiest Heroes."

Maria shook her head. "No, they're the Earth's Mightiest Heroes. Helen and I are just the backup."

"No," Steve cut in. "You're equally as important to the team as the rest of us." The comment made him and Maria exchange a smoldering look as the others looked on smiling at the exchange, namely Natasha.

"So what brings you ladies out here tonight?" Bruce asked.

Helen shrugged. "Hey, it's 80's night."

Steve sneered. "I don't see how anybody could listen to this god awful noise."

"Spoken like a true old man," Tony said before taking another gulp of his drink.

"Personally, I find the melodies quite enjoyable," Thor added.

"See!" Tony exclaimed. "Even Thor likes it!"

Maria took Steve's hand as "Melt With You" began to play. "Maybe you'll feel differently about it when you actually dance to it."

Natasha had to hold in her amusement as Steve's cheeks flushed bright red and he began to stiffen. "Uh…I don't dance."

Maria led him out to the dance floor. "No better time to learn." Steve took one last nervous glance at the others as Maria pulled him away, causing them all to laugh.

Laura followed Maria lead by guiding Clint in the same direction. "Dance with me, Hawkeye."

Clint grinned as she towed him to the dance area. "No problem." Natasha watched them, feeling her stomach twist again.

"Well, I don't dance either," Bruce said to Helen, "but, uh…I'd love it you'd have a drink with me."

Helen flashed a dazzling smile at him. "Thank you. I'd like that too."

Tony raised his hand. "I can I have one with you guys?"

Bruce chuckled. "Do you mind if the third wheel joins us? I'm scared he'll get us all kicked out of here if I leave him alone."

Helen laughed with him. "Of course he can. Tony, what are drinking?"

"Nothing," Bruce responded. "He's had enough."

"Jack," Tony said, ignoring Bruce's comment as he walked off with them. "Or Smirnoff, if they have it."

"It looks like it's just you and me, Big Guy number two," Natasha said once she and Thor were alone.

Thor shook his head. "I've had enough merriment for tonight. I shall retire back at the rendezvous point." He then looked down at his untouched meal. "But I'll take this food back with me. I'm sure I'll require sustenance later."

Natasha chuckled and nodded. "Now you sound like you."

Thor smiled back at her. "I thank you for your words of encouragement, my lady."

Natasha rose from the table. "It was my pleasure, your Highness." She walked off as Thor flagged down the waiter.

Twenty minutes later, Natasha was in the parking lot, leaning against the silver Acura MDX she the others rode in on, her mind racing. Thor had already left, opting to walk back to the rendezvous in attempt to clear his mind. The rest of the team members were still inside, still enjoying their first night of freedom. Natasha still couldn't shake what had happened to her earlier that day. Something within her had definitely changed since she touched the infinity stone. Then there was the delusion she had when she grabbed it. Who exactly was she supposed to be marrying?

"Hey," Clint's voice sounded, breaking her from her thoughts. Natasha coolly diverted her eyes in his direction, not the least bit startled. She had sensed him entering the parking lot before he even got there.

Clint walked over to her and stood beside her. "Nat, I don't know if you realize it, but there's a party going on downstairs in the club."

Natasha nodded. "I noticed."

"So what's wrong?"

Natasha shrugged, feigning ignorance. "I just came out here for some air."

Clint wasn't about to give up so easily. "Are you sure you're okay? Ever since we came back from that mission, you've been acting weird."

"Weird, how?"

"Distant…I mean more than usual."

"I'm fine, Clint."

Clint gave her a deadly serious look. "Nat, it's me."

"Clint-"

"Nat, you know you can talk to me. What's goin' on?"

Natasha took a deep breath. "Fine. I'll tell you. But you can't repeat this to anyone."

Clint nodded. "Got it."

"I mean it. No one," Natasha warned.

Clint placed his hand on Natasha's shoulder. "I won't tell anybody."

She took another deep breath before speaking. "Ever since I touched that stone…I've been able to sense things."

Clint narrowed his eyes. "You sense things?"

"It's like all five of my senses have been turned up to 100. I could taste the actual agave nectar in the tequila. I can smell the uncooked yeast bread dough sitting in that bakery down the street. I could hear the women whispering and giggling about Steve and Thor in the club. And I can see people approaching me before they even approach me."

"Like Helen back at the rendezvous?" Clint remembered.

Natasha nodded. "Yeah. And just a few seconds ago, I saw you coming up here before you actually came here. And then…" her voice trailed off, reluctant to mention what else she experienced.

"And then?" Clint asked.

Natasha sighed. "When I touched the stone, I had a hallucination."

"What kind of hallucination?"

Natasha hesitated before speaking again. "I…I was getting married."

Clint smiled, clearly amused. "Really?"

"Yeah. And everyone was there, except…"

She then looked over at Clint, realization washing over her like a rainstorm. "You."

Clint raised his eyebrows. "I wasn't at your wedding?"

"No, you weren't."

He scoffed. "That really was a hallucination. But everyone else was there?"

"Yeah. Tony, Bruce, Thor, Nick…Steve gave me away."

"Oh, yeah. That was some kind of weird fantasy. There's no way in hell I'd let my best friend get married and not give her away, no less not show up to the wedding."

Natasha smiled. "I know you'd be there." She paused for a moment. "Clint, if anyone finds out about this, they're gonna throw me in the psych ward or put me on some type of evaluation."

"Nat, I'm not gonna say anything. But to be honest, do you really think SHEILD's gonna label you a nut job because of this? I mean, think about it. I saw you grab that stone and stop a man's heart. We all saw you make Bruce change. And shit, look at our team. We have a guy who has an electromagnet in his chest-or he used to have it, I guess; another guy that turns green and grows about nine feet tall when he's angry, and a dude from another planet that can manipulate the weather. And you think you're weird?"

Natasha started to laugh. "When you put it like that, it puts things in perspective."

Clint put his arm over her shoulder. "Everything's gonna be okay, Nat. If things do start to get a little too weird, I'll be there for you. I'm your wingman, remember?"

Natasha took hold of Clint's hand. "I remember."

Clint embraced her and held onto her for a moment, lightly stroking her back. "By the way, you never did tell me."

Natasha looked up at him. "What?"

"Who was the lucky guy? Thor?"

Natasha couldn't help but laugh. "Thor? Really?"

Clint shrugged. "I saw you two having dinner tonight. Besides, gorgeous people usually run together."

Natasha broke free from Clint's embrace and laughed even harder. "Clint, you really are an idiot."

"What's idiotic about that?"

"First of all, I was sitting with Thor tonight because he needed cheering up. You said yourself that he was gloomy the entire time he was here."

"Yeah. Now that you mention it, where did he go?"

"He walked home."

Clint was stunned. "He walked all the way back there?"

"I seriously doubt if that fifteen mile stroll will bother him."

"I really need him to break out of this 'life sucks' phase."

"Which brings me to point number two: part of the reason he's so down in the dumps is because he's madly in love…with someone else. And he can't be with her right now."

Clint thought for a moment. "Oh! The scientist! Erik's friend…Jane Foster!"

Natasha nodded. "That's her."

"Yeah, I forgot about her. I saw a picture of her once. She's pretty hot, which still proves my theory about gorgeous people being drawn to other gorgeous people."

Natasha shook her head, laughing again. "Anyway, you of all people should know that Thor's not my type."

Clint leaned in towards her, curious. "What is your type?"

"Well, it's not Thor. I mean, yeah, he's beautiful, but that's just the thing. He's too beautiful."

"Wow," Clint mused. "I never thought that could be an issue."

"It is for me. I like men that are a bit more…rugged."

"Rugged?"

"Rough and tough. Handsome, but not classically handsome. A man with calloused fingers and maybe a scar or two that he can brag about."

Clint subconsciously looked at the palm of his hand. "So you're saying that Steve's more your type, then?"

"Someone else has her eye on Steve."

Clint laughed. "Maria," they both said together.

"To be honest, Steve is a little closer to the mold, but I'd rather date a man that's a bit more contemporary. I don't know if you've noticed, but Steve still has the mindset of a man from the 1940's, and Thor is archaic as they come-although I love the fact that he still believes in chivalry."

"So basically, you want a man who's rough around the edges, modern, and chivalrous?"

Natasha smiled warmly. "That's what I want."

Clint smiled back at her, looking into her dark hazel eyes as "I Can't Fight This Feeling Anymore" could be heard playing from the club. "I hope you find him."

Natasha stared back into his grey eyes with no reply. They continued to gaze at each other in silence. The kiss they shared earlier that day flashed in Clint's mind for the millionth time. "Nat-" he began.

"Gale! Katniss!" Tony cried, cutting Clint off. The intoxicated billionaire staggered towards them as Bruce walked alongside him, trying his best to hold him up.

Natasha rolled her eyes and sighed as the two men drew near. "Where'd you guys go?" Tony managed to slur.

"We've been right here," Clint answered. "And isn't Gale a dude?"

Bruce replied in an exasperated voice, "Yeah, he is."

Tony stumbled over to Clint until they were face to face. "Well, Hot Pants can't be Katniss because she doesn't use a bow and arrow. That makes her Gale. Duh."

"Whatever," Clint muttered.

Tony shrugged. "It's a chick's name anyway."

"If I'm Gale, and he's Katniss, who's Peeta?" Natasha sneered.

Tony looked at her as if she were crazy. "Laura!"

Natasha rolled her eyes again and glanced at the guys, noticing that their dates were missing. "Speaking of which, did you fellas ditch the ladies?"

Clint shook his head in protest. "I told Laura I was coming up here to look for you before I left."

"Yeah," Bruce added. "You and Thor just disappeared, and then when the hawk didn't come back, we excused ourselves and went to see what was going on."

"So where's Steve?" Natasha asked.

Bruce and Tony started laughing. "We insisted he stay with the ladies," Bruce spat before guffawing. "You should've seen his face."

Natasha shook her head in disgust as Clint laughed along with them. "I hate I missed that," he said. "I'm sure Maria wasn't too upset, though."

Bruce scoffed. "Are you joking? She couldn't get rid of us fast enough."

"Hey…where's the other big guy?" Tony asked.

"He left." Natasha told him.

"Did he fly?"

"Walked."

Tony was stunned. "Holy shit."

"Apparently he had to walk off some stress," Clint said. A split second later, his eyes lit up. "You know what? I just thought of the perfect way we could spend part of our week off."

"How?" Tony queried.

"Let's hang out at my house for the weekend."

Natasha's eyes widened. "The farmhouse?"

"Yeah! You guys haven't been out there yet-well, Nat you have, but-."

Tony grinned, cutting him off. "Of course she has."

Clint continued, ignoring Tony's comment. "But it's gorgeous out there. It was my parent's place, but when they passed, the house was inherited to me. It's huge; there's plenty of room for everyone."

"And it's on a farm?" Tony inquired. "Where exactly is this place?"

"It's in a small town in Maryland called Harleyville. There's lakes nearby, caves and mountains, even a little bar where we can chill out and have some drinks. It can be a weekend with the fellas…and you too, Nat."

"Right." Natasha muttered. "So what about Laura?"

"Laura has to work all this week. It'll just be us," Clint answered before turning to Bruce and Tony. "You guys in?"

Tony playfully hit Clint on the arm. "You have to ask?"

Clint grinned and turned back to his best friend. "Nat?"

Natasha beamed. "I'm in, and I have an idea that'll make this weekend really great."

Clint's smile faded slightly. "What are you up to?"

"You'll see," Natasha told him, raising her eyebrows.

Clint eyed Natasha for a second before asking Bruce, "What about you, Dr. Banner?"

Bruce shook his head. "It sounds great, but I'm spending my week in New York."

"Come on!" Clint protested while Tony also whined something unintelligible to his friend.

"Bruce please, come with us," Natasha said. "You have to relax sometime."

Bruce shook his head in disagreement. "Trust me, working in the lab is relaxing for me. Much more relaxing than going in the field and turning into the other guy."

"But I'm talking about a weekend of fishing and hiking," Clint protested.

"I've never cared for fishing or hiking. Besides, I'm intrigued by that stone. I wanna find out what caused Natasha's reaction to it."

"But Bruce-" Tony whined.

Bruce held up his hands in protest. "No buts. It'll be nice to be in my element for a while."

"Oh…" Clint said, his eyes lighting up once again. "And you'll get to spend more time with Dr. Cho."

Bruce began to turn red. "Uh…I didn't think about that…well, not really."

Tony laughed and gave Bruce a playful punch in the chest. "You old dog, you."

"You think Thor and Steve'll be up for it?" Clint asked Natasha.

Natasha nodded. "I wouldn't doubt it."

"Alright, then!" Clint exclaimed. "We're all goin' to my house for the weekend."

"Yeah, it'll be nice to do something besides be around you guys all the time," Tony slurred before comprehending what he just said. "Oops."

"That's our cue to get Steve and the ladies and go back to the rendezvous," Bruce said, leading Tony to the car.

Clint put his arm back around Natasha's shoulder. "Ready to call it a night?"

Natasha smiled at him. "Ready."

"Let me walk you to the car door."

"Shouldn't you get Laura first?"

"Laura would kill me if I wasn't gentlemanly enough to walk you to the car," Clint said, allowing Natasha to interlock her arm with his. "Consider it an act of chivalry."

Natasha laughed and allowed Clint to escort her three steps to the passenger side door, as Bruce did his best to sit a drunken and nearly passed out Tony Stark in the backseat.

 **I'm so sorry that it took me so long to post this chapter! So many things prolonged me from completing it: stress, fatigue, life in general, and just plain getting stuck (this chapter was difficult to write, for some reason). However, I've finally completed it, and I hope you all enjoy it. As a bonus (and since it took so long for this chapter to be posted), chapter 4 is already posted as well. Go check it out!**

 **A bit of trivia for you all...Berfi's is a real club in Verona (whether or not they have an 80's night is unbeknownst to me, but I love 80's music, and they consider themselves to be a discotheque, so I figured what the hell). If you want to have an idea of where the Avengers spent their free night, or if you're just curious as to what it looks like in case you're in Italy, here's the website:**

 **Another bit of trivia: you all may be wondering why I referred to Clint and Natasha as Katniss and Gale, aside from Tony's obvious answer. The reason is because I've personally always felt that Katniss and Gale were soulmates and belonged together, but certain circumstances (the writers) kept them apart. In Katniss and Gale's case, they were kept apart forever (which was one of the most maddening things about _Mockingjay_ ).**

 **Lastly, I'm a BIG fan of 80's music, as I stated earlier, and I used a lot of it in this chapter not just as a plot device, but an underlying theme. If you're curious about any of the music I referenced, or wanna hear exactly what the Avengers were listening to as the night unfolded, here's some You Tube links to the songs played at the club:**

 **"Blue Monday" by New Order (** **watch?v=KSGWsmR4ipM)**

 **"Brand New Lover" by Dead or Alive (** **watch?v=ZWbj64Rwfvc)  
**

 **"Broken Wings" by Mr. Mister (** **watch?v=nKhN1t_7PEY)**

 **"Melt with You" by Modern English (** **watch?v=LuN6gs0AJls)**

 **"I Can't Fight This Feeling Anymore" by REO Speedwagon (** **watch?v=zpOULjyy-n8)**


	5. Chapter 4: The One True King

Chapter 4: The One True King

 _Asgard – Odin's Palace_

Odin stood on his balcony, looking out at the view. The sky had turned to shades of purple, blue and orange, thanks to the oncoming dusk. There were oceans and waterfalls as far as the eye could see. Odin's pet birds flew near the palace, never coming to him, but keeping their glorious flight, as the rainbow bridge leading to the Bifrost shone brightly in the distance. The world was indeed gorgeous. In all the nine realms, there was never a more beautiful one than Asgard…and it was all his.

"My lord," announced an Einharjar that came behind him.

Odin turned to face him as the guard instinctively bowed in submission. "What of the prisoners?"

"They are secure in the dungeons," the guard answered. "But Allfather, I do not understand-"

"It is not for you to understand," Odin snapped. "They have committed treason, and are receiving a due course of punishment."

Odin walked away from the guard, heading back to his throne, as the Einharjar quickly followed. "Allfather, their actions prevented Asgard from being destroyed by war. I'm sure the crown prince would agree."

Odin sat in the throne, clearly uninterested. "The 'crown prince' renounced the throne for a mortal, and has no say over the matter. I am king, and I have made my decision. The prisoners will remain in custody. What other news?"

The Einharjar sighed before continuing. "Lady Lorelei and her companions have returned from their mission."

"Send them to me," Odin said with a slight grin on his face.

The guard bowed once again, and made his way down the great hall. A few moments later he returned, with Lorelei and her minions walking behind him.

"Allfather, Lady Lorelei and her warriors," the guard announced, standing to the side.

Lorelei and her group of flunkies took a knee before the king, placing their closed fists above their hearts in salute. "Allfather, we return from Midgard with devastating news."

A stern look replaced Odin's grin. "You have failed my mission?"

"I regret to inform you of such, but yes," Lorelei said. "But we are more than able to rectify the situation."

Odin stood from his golden throne. "Lorelei, I would like for you to meet me in my chambers. We have things to discuss."

This declaration made all the Einharjar stare at the king in shock, as well as Lorelei's underlings.

Lorelei simply nodded and stood up. "Yes, Allfather."

Odin walked towards his bedroom and Lorelei followed, leaving the other men in the great hall paralyzed with shock. Once they approached the doors of the large room, Odin opened them for Lorelei, allowing her to enter first. An Einharjar, who was much larger than the previous one, bowed upon the sight of his king, as Lorelei walked inside.

"I do not wish to be disturbed," Odin said to the guard. "I command that you stand watch 100 paces from this door. No more, no less. And no matter what you hear…do not enter."

The Einharjar bowed in obedience. "Yes, Allfather."

The guard walked off as Odin entered his chambers, closing and locking the doors behind him. He stood and stared at Lorelei for a moment, saying nothing.

"Is there a reason you've called me in here?" Lorelei asked. "Or do you wish to ogle me all night?"

"So you have failed me?" Odin finally asked.

"Is that not what I said earlier?"

Odin humorlessly chuckled. "If I were not a gentleman, I would slap you until your ears ring."

Lorelei was not moved. "Am I supposed to fear you now?"

Without breaking stride, Odin quickly and threateningly approached Lorelei. He violently grabbed her by the arms and yanked her close to him. "Do not speak to me with such disrespect. I am the king of Asgard."

The action only caused Lorelei to smirk. "Yes, you are the king. The one true king. I know it as well as any other. And seeing as we are alone, you have no need for any further pretense."

Odin sighed as a green light overcame him. As the light passed over his body, his gray hair became long and jet black. His stout, elderly body was replaced by a thinner, younger one. His weathered and war torn face was changed into that of a youthful, handsome man wearing a devilish grin.

It was Loki.

Lorelei stroked the side of Loki's face, as her look of defiance became one of desire. "I like you much better this way…my king."

"I know you do," Loki said, leaning in to kiss her. Instead, he viciously grabbed her by the face. "How is it that you have failed me?"

Lorelei's defiance returned. "The stone was retrieved by the Avengers."

Loki released her and stormed over to the opposite end of the room. "Dammit!"

"As I have said, this situation can be rectified."

Loki turned on her. "How? I have fought my brother and his Midgardian friends before…and lost."

"The stone was taken by the red woman-the Black Widow, they call her. I will return to Earth with my men, and kill them all. And I will bring the stone back to you…and Thor will return home with me."

Loki laughed. "You still love him."

"If you recall, our deal was to locate the infinity stone, and once it was found, I would rule your army with Thor by my side…unscathed."

"And I am fully prepared to hold up my end of the deal. I'm just amused that you have such affection for someone that will never love you."

For the first time, Lorelei appeared bothered by his comments. "Thor and I were meant to be together!"

Loki laughed. "He loves another."

Lorelei was taken aback. "The red woman?"

Loki laughed even harder. "Please. She's in love with an archer named Barton. Clint Barton. When I attempted to conquer Earth, I used Barton as a subordinate. You should've seen how she begged for his life. She tries to deny her feelings, but a blind man could see them. 'Love is for children,' she said. An unconvincing ruse if ever there was one."

He laughed even harder before he continued, grabbing some fruit from a nearby nightstand. "Barton loves her right back. Under my control, I could read his thoughts, as well as every fantasy he had of her. They were vivid…very vivid."

Lorelei grinned. "All this is good to know. I will kill the archer first…slowly, so the red woman can witness it. And once she has lost all she knows dear, I will destroy her."

"If I were you, I would note her abilities. She is no ordinary mortal. She is very clever and cunning. She is also physically strong and agile. Breathtakingly beautiful. According to Barton's thoughts, she often uses her beauty to infiltrate the men she's hired to spy on or kill."

Lorelei jeered. "In case you have not noticed, I am no man."

Loki continued. "She managed to fool me, as well. She used her wiles to lure me into revealing more of my plan than I should have. She did so flawlessly. To underestimate her is to bring certain death, especially if she wields the stone. And threatening Barton will only increase her ire. She is very protective of him."

"I fear her not," Lorelei spat.

Loki chuckled. "If you were smart you would. Then again, if you were smart, you wouldn't be in love with a witless, virginal oaf that can't dance."

Lorelei approached Loki with malice in her eyes. "Do not speak of him that way."

"You're right." He then leaned towards Lorelei and whispered, "I'm sure he's no longer a virgin."

Lorelei trembled with anger as Loki cackled in her face, his eyes full of amusement. "You should see his mortal. Very lovely. Intelligent and brave, as well as beautiful. Ironically enough, her beauty is matched only by the Black Widow's. Thor gave up the throne for her. That's all he spoke of when we were children, 'When I'm king, I'll do this! When I'm king, I'll do that!' But once he met that woman…he no longer gave a damn about it. Yes, I'm sure he plunged his cock into her sweet nectar many a time."

"Stop it," Lorelei warned.

"All this time you were so afraid that Sif would be the one to steal Thor away, when all it took was a tiny mortal."

"I said stop."

"I am curious," Loki said, popping a cherry into his mouth, "why are you so in love with my idiotic brother?"

Lorelei stormed over to him until they were face to face. "Because he's everything you're not."

"A brute and a fool?"

Lorelei scoffed. "You know nothing. He is kind and gentle. Loyal and giving. Strong and confident."

Loki grinned. "He once called you a trollop," he said, throwing another cherry in his mouth.

"Because you told him of our arrangement, when I specifically asked you not to."

Now Lorelei was the one to grab Loki by the face. "Face it, Loki," she whispered. "Thor is the one I love, and you're just a man I occasionally copulate with."

"I'm well aware of our arrangement," Loki said in a low voice. "Why do you think I summoned you in here?"

Lorelei grinned and stroked the side of his face once again. "Naturally, you couldn't resist me."

"So you consent?"

Lorelei used the tip of her tongue to softly lick his lips. "Yes," she answered.

Loki grabbed Lorelei's face and pulled her towards him, smothering her with his kiss as he quickly removed his clothes. Lorelei followed suit with her own. Once he was naked, he removed any remaining clothing Lorelei had on and carried her to the bed. Once he laid her down, he wasted no time entering and exiting her, as Lorelei writhed under him, grabbing his buttocks for further leverage and moaning in time with his thrusts.

As night fell, the two of them laid in bed together, their bodies spent. Loki was fast asleep with his head resting on Lorelei's breasts, as the beautiful blonde lay wide awake, staring at the ceiling, absentmindedly stroking Loki's long, black hair. She thought of Thor, as she did many nights, and imagined what it would be like to have him inside of her for a change. As sensational a lover as Loki was, she was certain that Thor would be absolutely spectacular. After all, he was better than Loki in all things, aside from ruling. One day he would be hers. She would make it so. The only thing standing in her way was the red woman.

 **I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! In stark contrast to chapter 3, I was able to write this one in one sitting (retweaking aside). So far, this chapter was the most fun to write, although I must admit, all of Lorelei's scenes are fun to create. Stay tuned for chapter 5!  
**


	6. Chapter 5: Unexpected Guests

Chapter 5: Unexpected Guests

 _Harleyville, Maryland_

Clint drove the van full of his teammates down the dark rural road as the first sweet chords of Simply Red's "Holding Back the Years" began to play. He looked over at Natasha, who was sitting on the passenger side. She was fast asleep, with her long legs crossed and propped up on the dashboard. The look on her face was one of completely serenity. It was enough to make Clint smile, seeing her like that. It was almost as if she had never had her childhood snatched away and replaced with a troubled and violent past.

Tony noticed Clint's gaze on the sleeping Russian beside him. "Something catchin' your eye up there, Barton?"

Clint quickly looked away from Natasha and sneered at Tony, before turning his attention back to the road. Tony simply grinned at his reaction.

"Is this really an 80's song?" Steve asked during the first few lines of the song. "It's actually pretty good."

"I agree," Thor added. "The melody is beautiful, and the lyrics are very insightful."

"Not all 80's songs were synth heavy and about dancing at the club all night, Cap," Clint said. "Although I must admit, those were some of the best ones."

Steve scoffed. "If those were the best, I'd hate to see the worst."

"A lot of songs like this one played the other night, old man," Tony retorted.

"How would you even know, metal man?" Thor asked. "You spent the shank of the evening regurgitating in the lavatory."

Clint looked away from the road for a second to eye Thor. "What?"

"He said Tony spent most of the night puking in the bathroom," Natasha said, sleepily.

Clint looked back over at Natasha, who still had her eyes closed and feet on the dashboard. "I didn't know you were awake."

"I'm not," Natasha replied, her eyes still closed. "But I sensed that we're still moving. How much longer until we get to the house?"

Clint chuckled. "A little impatient, are we?"

"No, I'm sleepy. And I'm ready to get into a real bed."

"That's giving me thoughts I shouldn't have, Widow," Tony said. "Actually Barton, I wanna know when we're getting there, too. I have to drain the lizard."

Clint rolled his eyes. "We're almost there. It's five more minutes up the road."

"Be patient you two," Steve said. "And Natasha, get your feet off the dashboard. I'll never understand why you love to do that."

Natasha smiled, her eyes still closed. "Yes, Dad," she said, taking her feet down.

"Metal man," Thor said, turning to Tony, "why do you have to drain a lizard?"

"That means he has to pee," Clint answered.

"Pee?" Thor said, confused.

"Urinate," Natasha clarified, sitting up and slightly opening her eyes.

"I'll never understand Migardian slang," Thor sighed.

"And we'll never understand you," Clint said. "I guess that makes us even. Every time you talk, I feel like I'm watching 'Masterpiece Theatre.'"

"Let me say it in a way you'll understand it," Tony told Thor, turning to face him. He then announced in a faux British accent, "I must remove my member from thy trousers and release the golden fluid from it. Did you get that?"

Thor eyed Tony with disgust. "I get that you are a buffoon."

Everyone else in the van roared with laughter as the van pulled into the driveway of a large house. "Well Tony, you'll finally have the chance to relieve yourself," Clint said, parking the van. "Just don't pee in my yard."

"What makes you think I'd pee in your yard?" Tony asked.

Natasha turned to face him after removing her seat belt. "You peed in your suit once."

The rest of the team laughed again at Tony's expense as they exited the van and grabbed their things. The old two story, off-white house was illuminated by a sole street lamp that was placed nearby. The dim light revealed the green shutters on the windows and the majestic trees that surrounded the property. Clint escorted the team inside, which revealed a wide open space that contained the living room and a great kitchen. Despite the fact that it was an older style farmhouse, the inside had many modern electronics, including stainless steel appliances in the kitchen.

"Very nice," Tony said, eyeing the 65 in. Samsung TV that was mounted on the wall.

"I see you finally got around to remodeling the kitchen," Natasha said, noticing all the new equipment.

Clint nodded and threw his bags down on the floor. "Yep. I squeezed it in sometime about three months ago. You like it?"

Natasha smiled. "I love it."

"It's a very beautiful place, Clint," Steve added.

Clint beamed. "Thanks, Cap."

Tony walked over to Clint. "Yeah, Barton. It's a really nice house. So where's the john?"

Clint pointed in the direction of the hallway. "It's down there, the first door-"

"Yep!" Tony shouted, running off. "The room with the toilet!"

Natasha placed her bags down by Clint's. "I still can't believe Bruce didn't wanna come down here this weekend."

"Well, he's spending his time doing what he loves, so I'm sure he'll be fine," Thor said, going over to the television. "Although I must admit, I'll never understand how he prefers being trapped in the confines of Avengers Tower over enjoying the beauty of the Earth."

Tony emerged from the bathroom, wiping his hands with a paper towel. "Speaking of Bruce, he wanted us to call him to let him know we all got here safely."

Natasha turned to Steve. "Seems like he took a page out of your book."

"Nothing wrong with showing concern for your friends," Steve said, pulling his cell phone from his jacket pocket. "I'll call him."

Just then, the lights of another car pulling up shone through the living room windows, causing everyone to freeze in their tracks. "You expecting company, Barton?" Tony asked, looking out of the window.

Natasha grinned. "Just in time."

Clint looked over at her as she headed towards the front door. "Who is that?"

Natasha didn't answer him, and continued walking outside as the others followed.

The mystery car parked next to Clint's van. Even with the low haze coming from the street lamp, the occupants within in the car could not be seen. "Nat, what did you do?" Clint asked, still eyeing Natasha. Without providing an answer, she looked back at him, still wearing a mischevious grin.

The driver opened the door and stepped out of the car, walking towards them. As the figure came closer, she appeared to be a tall, queenly woman with long, blonde hair. Once she was within the group's eyesight, her presence was immediately known, shocking all the men…especially Tony.

It was Pepper.

"Uh…Pepper, what are you doing here?" Tony asked.

"That's a nice way to say hello, Tony," Pepper said, feigning hurt.

Tony hugged her. "I'm sorry, baby. It's just that this weekend was supposed to be just us guys…and one girl."

"The 'one girl' decided that a bit more estrogen might be needed on this trip," Pepper replied before reaching over to give Natasha a hug.

"Nat, you didn't," Clint muttered.

Natasha glanced at him over as she embraced Pepper. "I did."

"How have you been, sweetie?" Pepper asked, releasing Natasha.

"I'm great," Natasha answered with a smile. She ignored the men staring at her. "You all didn't have any problems getting up here, did you?"

Pepper shook her head. "Aside from some nausea from all this fresh air, no. Your directions were idiot proof."

"Excuse me," Steve said, stepping forward. "But did you say, 'you all?'"

As if on cue, a second occupant exited the car, who turned out to be none other than Maria. "Hey, everybody!" she chimed, bursting with energy. Steve sighed and turned his head away as his cheeks began to turn red. His embarrassment only amused Natasha further.

"Wow," Clint said with a scowl as the scene unfolded. He turned to Natasha. "You have no shame." Natasha just grinned at him, pleased with herself.

"How are you guys?" Maria asked once she approached them.

"Steve, you remember Maria, don't you?" Natasha asked.

Steve glared at her. "Of course."

"Maria enjoys dancing, hiking, fishing, long walks, and she absolutely adores swing music and big bands."

Steve looked over at Maria and nodded, blushing. "That's really nice."

"What exactly are you doing here, Ms. Hill?" Tony asked.

"I was invited. And I had some vacation time due."

Steve nervously scratched the back of his neck. "Fury's gettin' a little fast and loose with that free time."

"So you're sorry to see me?" Maria asked, walking closer to Steve.

Steve blushed even more. "I wouldn't say that."

"I guess the gang's all here," Tony said.

Natasha shook her head. "Not everyone. There's one more special surprise."

She then turned to Thor and smiled. Thor gave her a puzzled stare before looking back at the ladies' car. A third woman exited the car and walked towards the group. This one was much shorter, with a pep in her step. Thor knew who she was before she even came in the light.

"Jane," he said rushing over to her.

Jane ran to him and wrapped her arms around his broad shoulders as Thor scooped her up off the ground and kissed her as if he hadn't seen her in a decade. The others could do nothing but stare in disbelief, except for Natasha, who was moved by the gesture.

"Take a lesson, Tony," Pepper said, as Thor and Jane continued to kiss. " _That's_ how you greet someone."

"That's actually an Asgardian custom," Tony told her.

Thor and Jane kept kissing, blissfully unware of their spectators. "Uhh…Thor?" Clint called out.

Thor and Jane's kiss remained uninterrupted. Clint cleared his throat. "Thor!"

Finally hearing Clint call him, Thor broke his kiss and looked over at Clint. "Would you mind introducing us to your lady friend?" Clint asked.

Thor smiled and lowered Jane back down to the ground. "Yes, of course. Forgive my bad manners." He took Jane by the hand and led her back towards the group. "Jane Foster, these are my friends, The Avengers. This is Steve Rogers, Clint Barton-I take it you've already met Natasha-and of course, you already know the metal man, who by the way, did not formally introduce us to his most gracious lady."

"Right," Tony said. "Everyone, this is Pepper. Pepper, this is everyone."

Pepper rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Your Asgardian buddy could really teach you a lot, Tony."

Tony took Pepper by the waist. "You know you love me, Pepper."

Pepper responded in kind. "Yes, I do…which says a lot about me." She placed a sweet kiss on his lips before addressing the rest of the group. "It's nice to finally meet you all."

"Same here," Jane said. "Thor's told me so much about you guys."

"We're pleased to finally meet the two of you," Steve responded.

"Thor said nothing but good stuff about me, right Dr. Foster?" Tony said before kissing Jane's hand. Pepper gave him a death glare.

Jane giggled. "Not exactly, but you'll always have soft spot in my heart for what you did for us in London."

Tony waved his hand at her in dismissal. "It was my pleasure."

"What happened in London?" Pepper asked Tony.

"Let's just say that Miss Russia isn't the only person that brings people together," Tony said, taking Pepper's hand. "We can talk about it more inside. It's colder than a snowman's ass out here." He led Pepper in the house and the others followed. Clint stopped Natasha before she could enter.

"Yes, Barton?" she asked.

"You're unbelievable." he said before turning his back on her and going inside the house.

Natasha jokingly feigned innocence. "What?"

A few hours later, the gang had settled in the living room watching TV after having dinner. Tony and Pepper were cuddled up on the couch, as Maria sat next to Steve, who was finally beginning to loosen up. Thor and Jane were taking care of the dishes. Clint was still a bit miffed with Natasha for what she had done, so he wasn't saying too much to her. Natasha wasn't bothered by that, though…well, maybe just a little. She was actually more troubled by the conversation she picked up on coming from the kitchen.

"Let us adjourn to our chambers," Thor whispered to Jane as he began to suckle her neck.

Jane giggled as he kissed her. "Be patient, my sweet prince."

"I can no longer be patient. I've waited long enough. The minute I saw you, I wanted to rip your clothes off then and there."

Jane let out a shuddered breath as Thor's kisses moved to her cheek.

Tony motioned toward the couple in the kitchen. "Check out those two. Makes you wanna vomit." Clint rolled his eyes at the sight of Thor and Jane getting lovey dovey. Natasha uncomfortably shifted in her seat, still able to hear the conversation that wasn't meant for her ears.

"Thor!" Jane whispered. "Everyone can see us!"

"Let them see," Thor whispered back, still smothering Jane with kisses. "If I cannot have you soon, I shall ravish you right here in front of everyone."

Jane grinned and took Thor by the hand, leading him back towards the living room. "Guys, I think we're gonna call it a night," she said.

"No, really?" Tony joked.

"Surprise, surprise," Clint muttered. "Which reminds me, we have to make the sleeping arrangements. Now Thor and Jane, you're together, obviously. And Pepper and Tony, you guys are together…obviously. You guys can get the two first bedrooms upstairs. Thor, you take the one on the left. Tony, you get the right."

Still holding Jane's hand, Thor rushed up the stairs, dragging her with him. "Thank you my friend!" he shouted as he ran off, only giving Jane enough time to wave goodbye at the group. "Good night, everyone!"

"Good night," everyone replied as Thor disappeared out of sight.

Tony came over to Clint and tapped him on the shoulder. "Twenty says he breaks your bed."

Clint scoffed. "Fifty says he knocks down a wall."

"You two are really crude," Steve chided. He then handed Clint a hundred dollar bill. "A hundred says that he doesn't tear up the house, but he does something weird with the weather."

Clint smiled and took the money. "I'll take that action."

"Really you guys?" Pepper huffed as she walked over to Tony, visibly disgusted.

"Pepper, the dude's a god," Tony said. "I mean, if you factor that in with the actuality that he hasn't seen his lady in a while, you have to admit that something weird is gonna happen when he…you know."

Pepper rolled her eyes and headed up the stairs. "I'm going to bed. Tony, do me a favor and stop drinking."

"I haven't had a drop to drink all night!" Tony said, taken aback.

"Please," Pepper grumbled. "I could smell the Jack Daniels on your breath when I got within a yard of you."

Tony smelled his breath. "Do I really smell like Jack?" he asked Clint.

Clint shrugged. "I could only smell it when I got close enough to you."

"I smelled it from a mile off," Natasha said, rising from the couch.

"Somehow that doesn't surprise me, Hot Pants. Good night, all."

Tony darted up the stairs, with Natasha following. "I'm going to bed too," she said. However, before she could make the first step, Clint stopped her by placing his strong hand on her stomach.

"Talk to you," he said to her in a quiet, but deadly serious voice. "Cap, you keep Maria company while Nat and I have a discussion."

Natasha smiled. "That's a great idea."

Clint pointed at the top of the staircase, clearly not amused. "Upstairs."

"Steve, be the gentleman that I know you to be," Natasha said before heading up the staircase, with Clint close on her heels.

They entered the master bedroom at the very end of the hall. Natasha looked around as Clint closed the door behind them. "I see you haven't gotten around to renovating your room yet."

"Cut the chit-chat, Nat," Clint snapped.

Natasha laughed at the unintentional rhyme, which only added to Clint's irritation. "Nat, do you realize that you singlehandedly ruined the boys' and one chick weekend?"

"How?"

Clint was taken aback. "How? By inviting all the women here, that's how!"

"Y'know Clint, in all the years I've known you, I never took you for a chauvinist."

"I'm not chauvinistic. But it's not every day that we get to just hang out without having to fight otherworldly enemies. We were supposed to just be having fun this weekend!"

"And the women being here changes that?"

"Yeah! Haven't you ever had a girls' night out before?"

"No."

Clint sighed. "Having the women here changes the dynamic."

"Clint, I don't know if you've realized it, but I'm a woman."

"Trust me, I've noticed," Clint said, eyeing Natasha instinctively. "But you being here is different. You're part of the team and you can roll with the guys. The other ladies are another story. Tony's acting like he's married, Steve looks like he's about to have an aneurysm, and Thor's completely whipped!"

"Clint, Thor missed Jane, and I'm sure Tony missed being with Pepper. This was the only time we had to ourselves, so I figured that they'd appreciate seeing their girlfriends. Judging from their reactions, I was right."

"What about Maria? Last time I checked, she and Steve weren't an item."

"A little extra effort on Steve's part'll change that."

"Oh my God, Nat! Do you ever stop playing matchmaker? Why are you so obsessed with our love lives?"

"I'm just obsessed with making sure my friends are happy. Is that so wrong?"

Clint threw up his hands, taking a minute before asking his next question. "I am curious...how did you manage to set this whole thing up?"

Natasha took a seat on Clint's bed before beginning her story. "You comfortable Nat?" he asked.

Natasha grinned. "Yes, very much. Thank you. So anyway, after seeing how upset Thor was in Italy, I made some phone calls before we left Verona. Jane told me that she could free up a few days, and Pepper took some vacation time from Stark Industries. As you already know, Maria had the weekend off, just like us."

"And what about Bruce? I'm surprised you didn't drag him here kicking and screaming."

"Like I said, I'm obsessed with making sure my friends are happy. Bruce was happy doing his work back in New York. Besides, why would I drag him here when Helen is right at Avengers Tower with him?"

Clint shook his head. "So why didn't you ask Laura here?"

"Laura had to work on assignment and couldn't get out of it, remember?"

Clint scoffed. "Right. Just admit it. You don't like her."

Now Natasha was the one to be taken aback. "I like Laura!"

"Yeah, but?"

Natasha shook her head. "No buts. I like Laura."

Clint came closer to her. "Nat, I know you. There's a but comin' on."

Natasha simply shrugged and shook her head. Clint humorlessly chuckled. "Fine," he said. "Don't tell me. The bottom line is what you did was wrong and I don't appreciate it."

"Because you think your 'boys and one chick weekend' was ruined?"

"Aside from that, you took it upon yourself to invite people to my house. You don't see anything wrong with that?"

Natasha became silent. "I didn't think about it that way."

Clint sighed. "Nat, I'm glad that you care so much about all of us. I really am. But taking it upon yourself to set people up isn't always cool. At the very least, you could've ran this idea by me."

Before Natasha could say anything else, Clint walked out of the room, leaving her behind. Natasha rose from the bed and followed him down the stairs. They found Steve and Maria sitting beside each other on the couch, laughing heartily. Natasha couldn't help but smile upon seeing them.

"Steve," Clint announced, breaking up their revelry. "You're bunkin' with me. Maria, you and Nat can have the second room on the left."

"Sounds good," Maria said.

"You two ready to turn in?" Clint asked.

Steve shook his head. "I think we'll stay up a little while longer. You two can go on and turn in if you're feeling tired."

Natasha grinned at Clint, who could only grunt in response. "Good night," he mumbled as he went back up the stairs.

"Good night, you two," Natasha said sweetly, following Clint.

"Good night," Steve and Maria chimed. The last thing Natasha heard when she went in the bedroom was Steve and Maria's laughter. It was enough to make her smile again, despite the fact that she hated Clint being angry with her.

 _Natasha stood there in her wedding dress, looking around at the striking scene. The light breeze blew the orange and red leaves on the ground, as well as the remaining ones left on the tall trees. Nick was there at the pulpit. Tony sat next to Pepper, his hand still resting on her stomach. Thor placed a soft kiss on Jane's lips as Bruce caressed Helen's hand. Steve and Maria couldn't take their eyes off each other._

 _Where the hell was Clint?_

 _She turned back to Nick. "Who am I marrying?"_

 _Nick started laughing, as did the rest of guests. Natasha just looked around, confused. A tall, beautiful blonde approached her, wearing an off shoulder white dress and her hair pulled in a bun._

 _"He's dead," the mystery woman said with a grin._

 _Natasha stared at the woman, preparing herself for combat. "Who are you?"_

 _"Someone that will take everything you hold dear," she said, raising her closed fist. She opened her palm and revealed the pink gem, glowing brilliantly. It was then that Natasha noticed the woman's irises glowing pink._

 _The wind blew violently, as if a great storm were coming. The wedding guests ran for cover as the sound of thunder rang out, and a bright pink light was emitted from the infinity stone, carrying a force strong enough to knock Natasha backward._

Natasha sat up in bed, screaming. With her breath coming out in pants, she looked around, attempting to get her bearings. Her hand subconsciously reached up and rubbed the silver arrow pendant around her neck. The bedroom was dark. The wind was howling outside and thunder was rumbling. Maria was lying next to her, fast asleep. She was at Clint's house, safe from danger. Finally catching her breath, Natasha got out of bed, in desperate need of a glass of water.

 _CRACK!_ The brilliant beam of lightning and crash of thunder that followed were loud and powerful enough to make Natasha jump, bothering her already unsettled nerves. Taking a deep breath to slow her heart rate, she went to the window and saw that the rain was pouring outside. Another bright bolt of lightning flashed a mile from the house, with another rumble of thunder coming afterward. Natasha left the bedroom and headed downstairs. When she got to the kitchen, she saw Clint making a sandwich.

"You couldn't sleep either?" he asked upon seeing her.

Natasha took a seat at the island. "Bad dream."

"Was it about me?"

Natasha playfully sneered at him. "You don't scare me, Barton."

Clint grinned. "Yes, I do."

"What are you still doing up?"

Clint motioned towards the kitchen window. "The storm kept me awake."

"Yeah, I noticed that. I didn't remember hearing anything about a storm coming tonight."

Clint gave her a look of disbelief, and realization washed over Natasha. "Oh…" she said, smiling. "That's one hell of a downpour."

"Yeah, and thanks to you and him, I owe Steve a hundred bucks."

Natasha sighed. "Look Clint, I thought about what you said earlier, and you were right. It was rude of me to act like your house was a random hotel and invite the girls here without telling you. I'm sorry."

Clint chuckled. "It's fine. I might've overreacted a little bit."

Natasha eyed him. "A little bit?"

"Yeah, just a little bit! But, I thought about it, too. You doing this just shows what a big heart you have. It proves what a good person you are. It's one of the best things about you, Nat."

Natasha shook her head. "I'm not good."

Clint went over to the refrigerator and grabbed a pitcher of water. "You're way too hard on yourself," he said as he poured a glass. "Trust me. You're beautiful. Inside and out."

Natasha smiled, and found her cheeks turning red for the second time in the last few days. "You really think so, Clint?"

Clint walked over to her. "You kiddin'? Who else can pull off that sexy black nightie?"

"Victoria's Secret models do it all the time."

"They don't hold a candle to you."

Natasha laughed. "I meant do you really think I'm beautiful on the inside?"

"Nat, you're one of the most beautiful people I know," Clint said, handing her the glass of water. "Consider that a peace offering."

Natasha smiled and took the glass. "I'm glad we're on speaking terms again. I don't like it when we fight."

Clint leaned over the island, still grinning. "You know I can't stay mad at you for too long, Nat."

Natasha laughed. They gazed into each other's eyes for a moment in silence. Clint caught himself and turned around to place the pitcher back in the refrigerator. "So what was your bad dream about?" he asked.

" _You_ had a bad dream?" Tony asked, coming down the stairs. He took a seat beside Natasha at the island. "Pray tell."

Clint sighed and took a seat opposite them. "Right on time as usual, Stark."

"I've always been known for my impeccable timing." Tony turned to Natasha with a mischievous look. "Now tell me about your nightmare, Ms. Romanoff."

Natasha leaned towards Tony. "I dreamt that I entered a parallel universe where you weren't being obnoxious and completely annoying."

"But you knew you couldn't stand not being around the real me."

"No. It was a bad dream because I knew I'd have to wake up and deal with you eventually, and look! Here you are!"

Clint started laughing. "What are you doing up, Stark?"

Tony shrugged. "Pepper was snoring. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind her snoring, but she usually doesn't do it that often. It sounded like she was sawing a tree down."

"She had a long ride up here," Natasha said. "Give her a break."

"Well, it wasn't just her. That storm outside is brutal." He turned to look towards the large window in the living room as a huge bolt of lightning rushed down, following by a large crash of thunder.

"Is our boy doing this?" Tony asked, turning back to Clint and Natasha. They simply nodded in response while a look of awe appeared on Tony's face.

"Sounds like he's really givin' it to her," Tony remarked.

"Yeah," Clint huffed. "Just be sure to _give_ Steve his money in the morning."

"A Stark always pays his debts. I'm just glad to see Point Break get rid of all that sexual tension. Maybe now he'll be a little less uptight. If we can get Steve to lose his V-Card, we'll have it made."

"Well boys," Natasha said with a sigh as she rose from her stool, "I think this is where I say goodnight."

"Nat, please," Clint said. "Don't leave me alone with him."

"I'm really feeling the love in this room," Tony said.

"You've survived worse," Natasha said over her shoulder as she walked away. "Good night, fellas."

 **Chapter 6 is here...right now! Keep readin'!**


	7. Chapter 6: The Catalyst

Chapter 6: The Catalyst  


 _New York City, New York – Avengers Tower_

Bruce sat at his computer, looking at his recent analyses of the gemstone, all of which brought up nothing. The stone sat on the table nearby, still dull and lifeless. "JARVIS, is there anything you can tell me about this thing? So far, I'm comin' up with nothin'."

"As Prince Thor mentioned before, it may very well be one of the infinity stones," JARVIS said. "The more you've attempted to research the gem, the more I believe his hypothesis may be correct. Just as I revealed to Agent Romanoff and you all on the mountain, the gem is not constructed of any jewel or element known to Earth."

Bruce rubbed the bridge of his nose from slight frustration and lack of sleep. "Yeah, I'm willing to bet money that it's an infinity stone. What I'm trying to figure out is how Nat was able to unlock its power."

"Of that I'm not sure, Dr. Banner. The second Agent Romanoff released the stone, its power ceased. Even the glow it once had has completely dimmed."

"There's got to be more to this thing. HYDRA wanted it for a reason."

"That's another thing that's puzzling, Dr. Banner. They were already in possession of the scepter. According to the records obtained from the recent mission, they have already used it to experiment on people, and have even had success with a pair of orphaned teenagers as test subjects."

"Yeah, but if they could do that with just one infinity stone, imagine what they could do with two. HYDRA is all about world domination, and now that their organization has been outed, they'll be a lot more blatant with how they go about it. That's why we need to find out exactly what this stone does and how it's powered."

Just then, Clint's face appeared on the computer screen, smiling. "What's up, Doc? I figured you'd be up this early."

Bruce chuckled. "Up? I never went to sleep. I see you guys forgot to call me to let me know you got in okay."

"Hence the reason for me using our fancy Skype-esque system. Besides, we were about to call you, but we got a little distracted."

"By what?"

Clint rolled his eyes. "The minute we got here, we found out that Nat had turned the guys' weekend into a couple's retreat."

Bruce started to laugh. "You're kidding."

"I promise you I'm not. Jane, Pepper and Maria pulled up seconds after we did."

Bruce laughed even harder. "What would she have done if I came?"

"Oh, she said, and I quote, there was really no reason for you to come since you were doing what you loved and Helen was still up there with you anyway."

"Is Laura up there with you guys?"

Clint shook his head. "No Laura."

"Why not?"

"She had to work."

Bruce grinned from ear to ear. "Right."

Clint was slightly taken aback. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I'm sure you know what it means. I think the question that everyone's been asking is when Nat is gonna figure out what it means."

"Bruce, Nat and I are just friends."

"Right," Bruce repeated.

"Note to the socially awkward: a guy and a chick can actually be best friends."

Bruce stifled his laughter, not at all affected by Clint's ribbing. "Firstly, the only reason I'm socially awkward is because I'm scared the other guy'll make an appearance."

"Trust me, that's not the only reason. Nerd," Clint joked.

Bruce ignored him. "Secondly, I'm well aware that a guy and girl can be just friends…it's just crystal clear that you and Nat are much more than that."

"Whatever. I'm gonna let you and the other guy go. I'm sure that the two of you are busy, and I have to brush up on my target practice."

"Anybody that can shoot an arrow behind their back and hit the target dead on doesn't need practice."

"There's always a need for practice, old man. Keep those skills sharp. Talk you to later."

"I agree with your assessment, sir," JARVIS said once the video feed went dead.

A dumbfounded look appeared on Bruce's face. "Which one?"

"About Agent Romanoff and Agent Barton. They have feelings for one another."

Bruce chuckled. "You're absolutely right. You can see it; I don't know why they can't."

"Matters of the human heart are extremely complicated, Dr. Banner."

Bruce nodded and rose from his chair. "That's very true. If you'll excuse me JARVIS, I'm going downstairs for a cup of coffee."

"Might I suggest breakfast and a few hours rest, Dr. Banner? It's been over 24 hours since you've slept, and it's been just as long since you've eaten. A good meal and sleep are essential, sir."

"I'll get something out of the vending machine, and I'll sleep when I'm dead," Bruce said as he headed out of the door. "Thanks anyway, JARVIS."

When Bruce got to the break area, he saw Helen standing near the vending machine, drinking a Red Bull. "I heard those are really bad for you," he said.

Helen lowered the can and smiled. "It's the only way I can stay awake. Coffee never worked for me."

Bruce went over to the coffee pot and poured a cup. "You've been pulling an all nighter too?"

"Yep. Just putting the finishing touches on my nanomolecular therapy research. I was running on pure adrenaline for the last twelve hours. I started winding down about ten minutes ago, so I came here for a Red Bull. Thank God Tony has this machine in here."

"I believe he drinks them more than anyone else here. I have a question, though. Why are you doing more research? I thought you ready to actually start applying the therapy."

Helen shook her head. "You can't just jump head first into these things. All my test subjects have been successful, but before I really try it out on a human subject, I want everything to be in place." She paused and took another sip of her Red Bull, deep in thought. "I just need everything to be perfect."

Bruce placed his hand on hers. "It will be perfect. I've gone over some of your notes. You're brilliant. What you're doing is going to be revolutionary."

Helen smiled, her cheeks turning bright red. " _You_ calling me brilliant has to be the best compliment I've ever had."

Now Bruce was the one to blush and turn his head away to hide his smile. "Thank you, Dr. Cho."

"Helen, please."

Bruce looked at her, smiling even harder. "Thank you, Helen."

Still blushing, Helen drank the remainder of her Red Bull and tossed the can in the trash. "I'll tell you what," she said. "Why don't we get out of here for a few minutes and get some real breakfast? I haven't eaten in almost a day, and I know you have to be hungry."

"Sounds good," Bruce said, nodding.

"When we get back, maybe I can help you with your research."

"You sure? I wouldn't want to put you out."

"Trust me," Helen said with a gleam in her eye. "It'd be my pleasure."

"After you," Bruce said, gesturing towards the door.

With a sexy grin, Helen walked with a bit of a sashay in her step as Bruce held the door open for her. Bruce's heart raced and the blood rushed to his groin as his eyes diverted their way to her ass as she walked. _Don't turn green_ , he thought to himself as he followed her out. His stare still fixated on her ass, he took a deep breath in an attempt to steady himself. He felt his member harden as he watched he walk. _Don't do that, either._

 _Harleyville, Maryland – Clint's Farm_

In the barn behind the farmhouse, Natasha was training, using a small knife to take her frustrations out on the wooden dummy that faced her. After she woke up from her dream the previous night, she had trouble getting back to sleep, and when she did, the mysterious blonde appeared once again, still threatening her and everyone she held dear.

Natasha was often plagued with nightmares. She had horrible dreams of the Red Room, and the first mark she was assigned to kill. Usually she could shake those terrors away when morning came…but not this time. The blonde's face was burned in her mind, and every time her face appeared, Natasha would bring the blade of the knife squarely into the dummy's throat, chest, or cheek.

As she pulverized the dummy, she sensed someone behind her. She continued her workout without so much as a pause. The figure slowly crept behind her, taking great care not to be heard. Once he was close enough, the person extended an arm to grab Natasha by the shoulder. Without breaking stride, she quickly grabbed the person's arm and bent his wrist backwards, while quickly turning to face the intruder. She then swept his leg and sent him on the floor hard, causing the wind to be knocked out him. Once he was down on the ground, Natasha pounced on him, holding the training knife to the side of his throat.

"Good morning, Clint," she said with a smirk.

Clint groaned with his eyes winced in pain. "Mornin'." He opened his eyes and saw her sitting on his chest, still wielding the knife. "Damn, this is sexy," he said, grinning as his eyes took in the slinky black sports bra and matching pants she was wearing.

"Did you honestly think you could sneak up on me?"

Clint groaned again as he felt the pain in his back and wrist setting in. "I forgot. You're Dionne Warwick now."

"Correction. Dionne Warwick wasn't psychic. Her friends were."

"Whatever. Do me a favor and get that knife out of my neck."

Natasha pushed the knife further against his throat and leaned against him so they were eye to eye. "Or what?" she whispered.

Clint found his member standing to attention. "Or I won't make you my famous pancakes," he whispered in reply.

Natasha removed the knife from Clint's neck and stood up, extending her hand to help him to his feet. "When you ask like that, how can I say no?" Clint grinned and took her hand, hoping she wouldn't see his massive erection as he got up.

"What are you doing in here, anyway?" Natasha asked as Clint brushed himself off.

"The same thing you are. Training."

"Of all people, I doubt if you need it."

Clint laughed. "Bruce just said the same thing a few minutes ago."

"Oh, you talked to him. He wasn't pissed about us not calling last night, was he?"

Clint waved his hand at her. "Nah. He was fine."

"Any progress with him and Helen?"

Clint laughed as he grabbed his bow and arrow. "Nat, has it ever occurred to you that not everyone wants to be set up? Besides, he's there to study the stone, not her."

Natasha gave him a sly smile. "Give him time. Now show me your ritual. You never let me in on the secret."

"You're not gonna put that knife to my throat if I don't, will you?"

Natasha glanced at the bulge in Clint's pants. "From the looks of it, you might actually enjoy it."

Clint looked down at his still protruding erection and looked back at Natasha, his cheeks bright red. "You didn't see that."

He then walked over to a lever on the left side of the barn and pulled it back. As soon as he pulled the lever, a dummy popped up out of the furthest corner of the barn. Clint shot an arrow into the dummy's head in an instant. Another one popped up on the second level of the barn. Clint got him in the heart. Another dummy appeared a few yards from where he and Natasha were standing . It received a quick arrow to the throat. The dummies continued springing up from various areas of the barn and Clint delivered kill shots to every one of them the second they showed themselves.

Natasha smiled in awe once Clint was finished. "Impressive."

Clint raised his eyebrows and grinned back at her. "Thanks. Wanna try one?"

Natasha sexily walked over to him and took the bow out of his hand. Clint handed her an arrow from his case. Natasha positioned the arrow and aimed at the dummy on the second floor of the barn, as Clint stood behind her with his hands on her bare midsection, helping her with her posture.

The feel of his breath and calloused fingers on her skin sent chills up Natasha's spine, just as they had in Italy. "Don't lift your arm so high," he said, guiding it downward. "Keep it parallel to the ground."

Natasha tried her best to keep her aim on her target as Clint's soft touch continued to excite her. "Take aim," he said in her ear.

"I have," Natasha said, turning to face him. Clint returned the smoldering stare, with his hands still on her arm and midsection.

"Just let go," Clint said, still looking at her. Natasha released a shuddering breath and released the arrow, never taking her eyes off Clint. The arrow found its way into the dummy's heart, right beside Clint's.

Clint broke his stare to look over at the dummy. "Impressive," he repeated with a smile and nod.

Natasha turned to see her handiwork. "Pretty good for my first try."

"To be honest, I didn't expect anything less."

Natasha smiled. "Thanks."

"So why were you really in here?"

Natasha's smile faded. "You already know why I was here."

Clint shook his head. "It looked to me like you were battling some demons."

Natasha said nothing in reply as she gathered her training knife and headed for the door. Clint quickly followed. "So what is it? The stone or the bad dream?" he asked.

Natasha held open the door for Clint. "You don't give up, do you?"

Clint leaned near the doorway. "I never give up. Ladies first."

Natasha's smile returned as she walked out of the door and Clint followed, closing it behind him. "To answer your question it's the stone and the dream," Natasha finally answered.

Clint wrapped his arm around Natasha's waist as they walked back to the house. "What exactly did you dream about?" Clint asked.

"I was back at my wedding."

"The same one where I was mysteriously absent?"

"Same one. Anyway, this blonde woman showed up-"

Clint piped up. "You were marrying the blonde? That's hot!"

Natasha chuckled. "No. I think she was there to kill my husband, or you, assuming she hadn't killed you both already. I don't know. All I know for sure is that she wanted us all dead."

"Nat, it was just a shitty nightmare."

"I know. Something about it just really hit home."

"What about your psychic abilities? Are they getting stronger?"

"I took you down in the barn didn't I?"

"Yeah…but truth be told, you probably would've been able to do that without touching a possible infinity stone."

Natasha chuckled again. "Well, last night I heard Thor and Jane have a conversation that I'm sure was meant to be private."

"Ugh, you heard their kissy huggy talk?"

"It was actually a little more graphic than that."

"Gross," Clint said, cringing as he and Natasha made their way to the porch. He went to the door and opened it for her.

"Thank you," Natasha said in Russian as she walked inside. "You're such a gentleman."

"I try," Clint said, as he walked in the house.

They headed in the kitchen and Clint began taking out the ingredients to make his pancakes. "Look Nat," he said as he laid the flour and eggs on the island, "I really don't think you should stress yourself out any more about these side effects. Helen already gave you a clean bill of health."

Natasha took a seat at the island as Clint laid out what he needed. "Yeah she did, but I'm still feeling uneasy, and I hate that. Everything that's happened-the dreams, the heightened senses, the things I did when I had the stone in my hand…" her voice trailed off for a second.

"It's scaring me," she finally admitted. "And I hate my fear."

Clint took her hand. "It's gonna be okay, Nat."

"You don't know that."

"No, I don't. But I know you. I have faith in you. And I know you'll bounce back from this. You just have to have faith, too."

Natasha looked up at him and smiled, as she grasped his hand. Clint returned her smile as he took her hand and softly kissed it. He went back to gathering his ingredients when remembered the kiss they shared in the cave.

Clint placed the butter and baking powder on the table with a sigh. "Nat…there's something else that happened on the mountain that I never got to tell you."

Natasha stiffened. "What?"

"It's nothing horrible. It was just-" Before he could finish, Thor and Jane came downstairs, still not able to keep their hands off each other.

"Oh God," Clint groaned. He then looked over at Natasha, who was still looking for an answer. "Maybe we should discuss this later," Clint said under his breath.

Natasha sighed and nodded begrudgingly as Thor and Jane entered the kitchen hand in hand. "Good morning," Thor said, taking a seat beside Natasha. Jane sat on Thor's lap and absentmindedly played with his long blond hair. "Are we disturbing anything?"

"Nope," Natasha answered. "As a matter of fact, you two came just in time for Clint's pancakes."

"How'd the two of you sleep?" Clint asked as he grabbed a mixing bowl from one of the cabinets. "Assuming you slept at all, that is."

Jane blushed. "Um…we slept very well." Natasha tried her best to stifle her chuckle. _You're a terrible liar_ , she thought.

"Why would you assume that?" Thor asked.

Clint scoffed. "It stormed all night."

Thor looked around the room, proving himself to be a worse liar than Jane. "Did it?"

Clint rolled his eyes. "Whatever. I just hope you have enough energy leftover to go to the lake today."

"Fish fry?" Natasha asked.

"Nah," Clint said, cracking eggs in the bowl. "The fish fry is tomorrow. Today's just gonna be a barbecue at the dock."

"Did someone say barbecue? We love barbecues!" Tony announced, walking into the kitchen with his arm wrapped around Pepper's waist.

"Good morning, you guys," Pepper said.

"Mornin'," Clint answered.

"Barton, I didn't know you were a domestic," Tony said upon seeing Clint mixing the pancake batter. He followed Thor and Jane's lead and sat on the other stool, lowering Pepper onto his lap.

"I've got a lot of talents you don't know about, Stark."

"Pray tell?" Tony asked.

"Clint's a great bowler," Natasha said.

Clint smiled as he poured drops of pancake batter onto the waiting griddle. "Yeah. I can bowl about 70 after six beers."

"And he can manage to walk away from Chipotle with free guac," Natasha added.

"Guac?" Thor asked.

"Guacamole," Jane whispered.

Thor piped up. "Ah, yes! I love guacamole. Are we having that today?"

Clint flipped the pancakes over. "I doubt if that would taste good with pancakes, Thor. By the way, how many do you want?"

Thor thought for a second. "Twenty will suffice, my friend."

Clint turned and looked at him, incredulous. "Twenty?"

"Yes, twenty."

"Don't tell me you're surprised," Tony said.

"No," Clint said. "It just means that I have to mix more of this stuff up."

"I could take about twenty myself," Pepper said. "I'm starving!"

Tony stared at her. "Seriously, Pep?"

Pepper playfully hit him. "No, not seriously. I'm joking." She turned to Clint. "But I could eat about six of them, if you don't mind please, Clint."

Clint smiled. "Six it is, Ms. Potts."

"Morning, everyone!" Maria's voice proclaimed as she made her way down the stairs. "Do I smell pancakes?"

Clint placed three of the finished flapjacks on a plate as Maria entered the kitchen. "You sure do. How do you like 'em?"

"Can I just have them old fashioned?"

"As long as you don't ask for twenty or more like the gigantic demigod over there, you can have 'em any way you want."

He placed a short stack of pancakes topped with whipped cream and blueberries in front of Natasha. "Here you go, Nat."

Natasha smiled. "Thank you very much, Clint."

"Wait a minute, Legolas," Tony said. "Why does Hot Pants get served first?"

Pepper glared at him. "What?" Tony asked when he saw her scathing look. Pepper's scowl never faltered. "It's just a friendly nickname, honey!" he whined.

"Nat was here first, and I know what she likes." Clint said.

Tony grinned. "I'm sure you do."

Now Clint was the one to glower at Tony. "So Maria," Natasha began, making sure she turned her back to Tony, "what happened last night? You got to bed hours after I did."

Before answering, Maria looked around for Steve. "Steve hasn't gotten up yet?"

"Nope," Clint said.

Maria nodded. "I must've worn him out last night."

Everyone looked over at her, stunned. Maria laughed. "We sat up most of the night talking."

Natasha couldn't have been happier. "I'm glad to hear that Steve was a gentleman last night."

"I didn't expect anything less," Maria said. "He even escorted me to my room when we decided to turn in."

Tony stroked his goatee. "The old man and I definitely have to have a talk on how to properly escort a lady to her room."

"And how is that exactly?" Steve asked, walking into the kitchen.

"Don't ask," Clint said, before Tony could give his answer.

"Yes," Thor added. "I learned long ago that the metal man knows very little when it comes to matters of the heart."

"Says the guy that didn't know what a date was until I helped him out," Tony muttered.

"Good morning, everyone," Steve greeted, remembering his manners. He then turned to Maria with a sexy smile. "Hi, Maria."

Maria gave him a smoldering look. "Morning, Captain."

"How'd you sleep last night, Cap?" Clint asked.

Steve smiled. "Great. But I noticed that a storm was raging most of the night. Did you and Tony hear it?"

Thor and Jane looked over at Steve, puzzled, while Tony uncommonly remained silent. Natasha could only shake her head. "We heard it," Clint grumbled.

Steve grinned. "Just making sure. By the way, did you guys remember to call Bruce to let him know we got here okay?"

"Clint called him earlier," Natasha said.

"How's my boy doin'?" Tony asked.

"Looks like he could use some sleep," Clint said.

"Don't worry. Helen'll take care of him," Natasha said.

Clint grinned as he piled the twentieth pancake onto Thor's plate. "I bet she will. Big guy, you're up," he said as he handed Thor the super stack.

"Thank you, my friend," Thor said as he took the plate. As soon as he set it down, Jane poured syrup on top of it and began to feed him.

"Do you remember the day we met?" Thor asked her. "You took me to a dining area near your lab and bought this very same meal for me."

"I remember everything about that day," Jane said, placing a light kiss on Thor's nose. "I don't think you ate twenty of these at one time, though."

Thor laughed and returned Jane's kiss. As Natasha ate her pancakes, she watched the two of them fawn over each other. She loved seeing Thor happy, but at the same time she was envious. It occurred to her that no man she had ever been with worshipped her as Thor did Jane. She never had a man beam with joy upon seeing her or rush into her arms and crush her with passion. Natasha always believed that love was never in the cards for her. After all, it was a fairy tale; a trick mother nature used to make human beings reproduce. It was a fine notion for her friends, but not The Black Widow. She was far too damaged and dangerous to be with any man, so she completely stamped the idea out of her head. But yet, there she was, inwardly wishing she had what Jane Foster had.

 _New York, New York – Avengers Tower_

Bruce and Helen returned from breakfast about an hour and a half later, both laughing. "I can't thank you enough for taking me out," Bruce said as they entered his lab. "It turns out I actually did need a little break from this place."

"The pleasure was mine," Helen replied. "I had a great time. Besides, even when you do what you love, it can start to get a bit cumbersome. Some time away doesn't hurt anybody."

"So you think I should've gone to Clint's house for the weekend?"

Helen shrugged and began to fix Bruce's shirt collar. "I think you did what you felt was best for you. At the end of the day, you know better than anyone else." She looked up at him and smiled. "Either way, I'm glad you're here."

Bruce blushed and felt his pulse racing once again. _Don't turn green._ His member began to stiffen once again. _What the hell!? Just because I wanna stop the other guy from showing up, doesn't mean I want the other hulk to make a stand by default!_

"Uhh…you wanna see the stone?" Bruce asked.

Helen smiled. "Sure."

He took Helen's hand and turned to lead her where he left the gem, when he stopped dead in his tracks. "Holy shit," he spat out.

Helen looked at him. "What?"

He pointed at the stone. "Look."

Helen looked over at the desk and saw that the stone was suspended in mid-air, glowing.

Once she laid eyes on it, she couldn't turn away.

"It wasn't doing that before," Bruce said. Helen didn't answer him. She stared at the gem's bright pink glow and slowly began to make her way over to it.

"What's the catalyst?" Bruce wondered aloud. "Natasha's the only person that set it off, and now-" He cut himself off when he finally realized that Helen walking over to the stone with her hand extended.

"Helen!" he called out. She didn't turn around or answer him. Entranced, she continued walking towards it.

"Helen, don't!" Bruce cried, rushing over to grab her.

Before he could get to her, Helen grabbed hold of the stone and tightly wrapped her fingers around it. The stone emitted an even more vivid pink flash, causing Helen's body to jerk backwards.

 _Helen looked around. She was seated in a large banquet hall that she had never seen before. There were other people there, all elegantly dressed. She looked down and saw that she was wearing a black, strapless evening gown. Helen looked over to her left and saw Bruce sitting beside her, dressed in a tuxedo. He smiled at her and took her hand, lightly caressing her fingers with his thumb._

 _"You nervous?" he asked._

 _Helen stared at him. "What?"_

 _Bruce lifted her hand and pressed his lips to it, making Helen shiver. "You'll be fine."_

 _Before Helen could say anything else, a presenter had come up to the podium and began to speak. "And now we present the Nobel Prize for Medicine. This year's recipient is a geneticist that has been making strides in her career ever since her early years in her native country of South Korea. She is a child prodigy, who graduated from college at the young age of seventeen. After receiving her doctorate from Yale, she provided her talents to many organizations, mainly SHIELD, an establishment that is known for protecting the world from countless enemies, be they terrorists or adversaries from distant lands we have never heard of. With her contributions to the fearless warriors that guard us on a regular basis, as well as her work with charitable organizations and other medical endeavors, this lady is a true Avenger. I am pleased to award this year's Nobel Prize for Medicine to Dr. Helen Cho."_

 _Helen lost her breath. The guests began to applaud as she looked around the room, completely dumbfounded. Bruce rose from his seat and helped her out of her chair. He had a smile on his face that could illuminate the room. Helen took the stage, although she had no idea what the hell was going on._ This can't be real, can it? _she thought._

 _Helen stood at the podium shivering as the audience stared at her, waiting for her to give her speech. She was at a complete loss for words, only possessing the ability to stare back at all of them. The presenter walked over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "It's alright to be a bit nervous, Doctor," he said. "It's a great honor. Just speak from your heart."_

 _Helen licked her lips and took a deep breath as her heart dropped into her stomach. She looked out at Bruce, who was giving her a reassuring look._ Just talk, _she thought._

 _"I'd like to thank the Nobel organization for nominating me for this award," she said, shakily. "I've never been more proud. I'd like to thank all my friends and family for their support, but most of all, I'd like to thank my biggest supporter and my fiancé, Dr. Bruce Banner."_

 _The second the words escaped her mouth, she covered it with her hands as if she could take them back. No one in the audience seemed to notice, as they were all giving Helen a standing ovation, with Bruce clapping the hardest of them all. Helen stood at the podium, still shocked at what she had just uttered._ Fiancé!?

 _"Helen!" she heard Bruce's voice say._

 _Helen looked over at Bruce, who was still applauding. "Helen!" she heard again. It was Bruce's voice, but he wasn't actually speaking. It was coming from another place. "Helen, can you hear me?"_

Bruce shook Helen frantically, trying to snap her out the trance. He tried to pry the stone from her hand, but it was as if it were fused to her palm. Bruce shook her again and lightly tapped the side of her face. "Helen, speak to me!"

Helen's pink irises moved toward Bruce's direction. She still had the same empty look on her face as she stared at him. Bruce took her by the face, looking into her eyes. "Helen, say something. Speak to me."

Helen just looked at him in silence. Without warning, she pulled him close to her and kissed him, hard and passionate. Bruce didn't know what hit him. Bewildered, he pushed her off him. "Helen, what are you doing?" he asked, slightly dazed.

Helen responded by kissing him again, more deeply than before. Bruce kissed her back, losing himself in the moment. Helen led him over to a nearby cot and pushed him down on it. The second Bruce hit the makeshift bed, Helen climbed on top of him and continued kissing him until both their lips were swollen. She still held a death grip on the infinity stone, which was glowing brightly inside her closed palm.

Bruce's heart beat at an abnormal speed as Helen sucked his tongue and began to rip off his clothes as well as hers. His member was already at attention, but he could start to feel other parts of his body began to grow in size. Bruce's body jerked, and he clenched his fists in a futile attempt to halt his transformation. His eyes and skin tone were starting to turn green. He was becoming the Hulk.

Helen stopped kissing Bruce once she noticed him changing. "No," she said.

She stared at him with her pink eyes as Bruce squirmed and groaned, trying his best to fight off the change. Helen kept staring, holding her concentration. Just when Bruce was certain he was reaching the point of no return, he felt his body start shrinking back down to size. His natural skin color came back and his eyes went from green to brown. His pulse slowed down, but his whopping erection remained. Out of breath, he looked at himself, seeing that he was back to normal again, just like with Natasha in the mountains. Helen was still straddling him, her pink eyes still glued on him.

"I want you this way," Helen said, stroking the side of Bruce's face. She kissed him again, removing the last few articles of clothing between them. She sat up, giving Bruce a full view of her breasts. His pulse quickened again, but he didn't feel his body begin to change. Instinctively, he grabbed Helen's breasts and squeezed them, causing her to moan. As Bruce massaged her, Helen positioned herself on his throbbing dick and lowered her body onto it. They both let out a gasp as she slid Bruce's member inside of her.

Wasting no time, Helen moved her hips back and forth at a moderate pace, moaning in sync with her strokes. Bruce tilted his head back and sighed in content, still kneading Helen's breasts. Helen sped up her stroke by bouncing up and down on Bruce's manhood, and her death grip on the gem became even tighter. She pulled Bruce upwards to face her. As she went back to her original pace, she kissed him as if she hadn't seen in him years. Bruce greedily returned her kisses, reveling in every minute of their lovemaking. Helen lowered him back onto the cot, her lips never leaving his. Bruce's hands made his way to Helen's ass and groped it as she humped him, hard. Helen finally broke her kiss and she stared into Bruce's eyes, never interrupting her stroke. Their gaze increased the intensity of their lovemaking, and Helen sped up her strokes once again.

They were both moaning so loud they were practically screaming, but neither of them cared who would hear them or who may walk in. They didn't even notice that light emitted from the gem was now bright enough to engulf the lab. At that moment, their only concern was each other, and fulfilling the erotic desires that both of them had for so long. As Helen rode Bruce to sheer nirvana, she more than proved that the reality of them being together was much more pleasurable than they ever dreamed.

 **I'm so sorry it took me so long to update the story for you all. This year has been really tough for me, and between personal stuff going on in my life, dealing with a horrible job, and starting a new blog, I haven't really had the time to write. That's why I decided to make another BIG update for you all. I hope you enjoyed these chapters, and I wanna thank everyone that's left comments and has read the story so far. I really appreciate all your love and support. I'm going to do my best to finish this story, because I made a commitment to myself to see this through to the end! It may take a while, but I'm going to do it! Thanks to you all once again!**


	8. Chapter 7: Ambush

Chapter 7: Ambush

 _Harleyville, Maryland – Clint's Farm_

Thor and the other men were standing in a single file line on the dock that afternoon, clad in swimming trunks and holding hands like small children going on a field trip. "Alright," Tony said, holding onto Thor's hand and Clint's, "your challenge is to pull all of us from here to that tree over there." He motioned towards a tree that was about 200 feet away. "Can you do it?"

Thor grinned. "Absolutely."

"Now remember, if you lose, I get to wear the cape. And I get to rule Asgard. That's just a given."

Thor grinned harder and shook his head. "I won't lose."

"Cap, you're my anchor, right?" Tony asked.

Steve held onto to Clint with both hands. "I got it!"

"Why do I feel like I'm about to be torn in half?" Clint asked himself.

"Ready…" Tony began. "Go!"

Thor started walking, pulling the other men behind him using his one arm. Steve dug his heels in to hold them back, causing a bit of resistance. Thor continued to pull, leading the men towards the tree.

"Oh…he's doin' it! He's doin' it!" they cried as Thor pulled them forward.

The ladies all sat on nearby beach chairs, watching the spectacle. "Do they do stuff like this all the time?" Pepper asked Natasha.

Natasha watched as the men tried in vain to hold Thor back. "They normally do your usual stupid guy stuff, but this is the first time they've reached this level of idiocy."

Jane shook her head and chuckled. "I'll never understand men."

Maria and Natasha laughed along with her, while Pepper scrunched her nose in disgust. "Ugh," she moaned, steadying herself in her seat.

"Are you okay?" Jane asked.

"I'm fine," Pepper said, "it's just that the smell of that trout is making me ill."

"Wow," Natasha commented. " _I_ can't even smell the trout while it's still in the lake."

Pepper took a sip of her water to help with the nausea. "I can."

"All I smell are those burgers," Maria said. "I hope Thor yanks them over to that tree soon so Clint can finish the food. I'm starving."

Natasha turned to Maria with a grin. "Speaking of you starving, I want details about last night."

"Oh, yeah!" Pepper said, putting her water down. "Maybe hearing about a night of romance will make me forget about throwing up breakfast."

"There's really nothing to tell. We sat up all night and talked, that's it. I will say this, though. He's the sweetest guy I've ever met, and he's so funny."

"Steve? Funny?" Natasha asked.

"Yes!" Maria exclaimed.

"That must be a side of him I've never seen."

"And I love the way he says 'son of a gun.' It's so cute," Maria said, with a dreamy look on her face. "Anyway, I don't know why you guys interrogating me. If anyone's got an interesting story to tell, it's Jane. She's the one that made it storm all night."

"That's right!" Pepper said. "Jane, you have to tell me. What's it like to be…intimate with a god?"

Jane shook her head. "Uh-uh. I never kiss and tell."

"It had to be pretty damn good to cause that downpour," Natasha said.

Jane scoffed. "You know what? If anyone has some good stories to tell, it's Natasha."

Natasha looked over at her, incredulous. "Me?"

"Yes, you," Jane said. "I mean, you're a spy that's traveled all around the world. You look like a supermodel. You're the only person I know that could pull off that bikini."

"Exactly," Maria agreed.

Natasha playfully sneered. "Scars and all?"

"Come on, Nat," Pepper said. "Let's hear about your love life."

"I can't dish about something that doesn't exist," Natasha said.

"Doesn't exist?" Pepper asked. "I refuse to believe that."

"There's no one special right now?" Jane asked.

Natasha shook her head. "I'm pretty much married to the job."

"You guys wanna know what I think?" Maria asked. "I think behind that rough and tough exterior, deep down, Nat's the biggest romantic out here. Look at how she set this whole thing up. I honestly think that she's just saving herself for the right man."

Natasha chuckled. "'Saving myself?' Okay."

"Laugh if you want," Maria said, putting her sunglasses on. "It's true. And the 'scars' are barely noticeable, just so you know."

"Do you ladies mind if I ask a silly question?" Natasha asked.

Jane and Pepper nodded. "Ask away," Maria said.

"Is this what you would normally call 'girl talk?'"

The other ladies looked at each other. "Um, yeah," Jane answered. "You never had girl talk before?"

"Well, no," Natasha answered. "I never had any girlfriends until recently."

"Oh Nat, I'm so sorry," Jane said.

"Really? You never had any girlfriends until now?" Pepper asked.

"Well, they pretty much discouraged us from being close while I was in the KGB, and when I started working for SHIELD, there weren't any ladies I became particularly close to with the exception of Ms. Hill over here. And even with our busy schedules, we haven't really had too much time to really talk to each other. The only person I've really ever told anything personal to is Clint."

Maria smiled. "Like I said, Nat's holding out for that special man."

"I see," Jane said.

Natasha sneered again, a little less playful this time. "Clint and I are just friends."

"Tony and I used to be just friends," Pepper said.

"I've been meaning to ask you about that," Natasha said. "Do you have a heart of gold, or are you on a mission from God?"

The ladies started laughing again. "I admit, it's not always easy being Tony Stark's significant other, but I live for the challenge," Pepper told her. "Besides, one great thing about being with Tony is that I'm never bored. He always makes me laugh, and he constantly keeps me on my toes."

Pepper looked adoringly at Tony as Thor pulled him and the other men closer to the tree. "He's my match."

Natasha smiled. "That's really sweet." She sighed and put on her sunglasses as she picked up the newspaper beside her and opened it. "I wasn't really made for love."

"Ooooohhhhhhhh!" The men started shouting as Thor got within a few inches of the tree.

"Anchor him, Cap! Anchor him!" Tony shouted. Steve dug his feet in, but it was no use. Thor not only made it to the tree, but he continued to pull the other men with one hand until Steve himself reached it. They all cheered as Thor threw his hands up in victory.

"Holy shit, that was awesome!" Clint exclaimed.

The ladies clapped. "I'm sure your mothers are really proud," Natasha called out.

"Hey, Clint!" Maria shouted as she rose from her chair. "Why don't we all go out dancing tonight?"

"Go dancing?" Clint asked. "Where?"

"I remember you said something about a bar in town!"

"You mean Frank's?" Clint asked.

"Yeah! Sound good?"

"Sounds great! Frank's karaoke nights are ass kickin'!"

"What is 'karaoke'?" Thor asked.

"You took the question right out of my mouth," Steve said.

"Karaoke involves human beings singing their favorite songs horribly off key for a public audience and making fools out of themselves," Tony told them.

"Trust me," Clint said. "You'll love it."

"What about you guys? You up for it?" Maria asked.

Tony, Steve and Thor nodded. "I love dancing. Let's do it!" Tony said.

"What are you doing?" Natasha asked as Maria sat back down.

"You're not the only person that can set something up," Maria said with a smile.

 _New York City, New York – Avengers Tower_

Helen woke up with her head resting on Bruce's chest, feeling completely drained. She looked up at Bruce, who was staring up at the ceiling. "I'm sorry," Helen said, startling him.

He sat up slightly and looked down at her, trying to assess if she was herself again. "You must hate me," she said.

"Are you okay?" Bruce asked.

"I feel like I was on a bender last night, but other than that, I'm okay."

"Do you remember what happened?"

"Bits and pieces. I know that we…" Her voice trailed off and she looked away from him.

Bruce smiled and nodded. "Yeah, we did." He gently turned her head to face him. "And for the record, I don't hate you."

"I practically forced myself on you."

Bruce chuckled. "You didn't force me. You just brought out something that we both wanted. To be honest, I'm glad you did."

Helen looked at him, dumbfounded. "You're glad?"

"Yeah. I thought that part of my life was over. And every time I was around you, I wanted to be with you, but I knew that would never happen. But today, you allowed it to be possible. I felt like a regular guy again. Even if it was just for this one day, I felt like a normal human being. And I'm grateful for that."

Helen smiled and blushed. Returning her smile, Bruce bent his head down to kiss her. The kiss was enough to make both of them stimulated all over again, but they broke away from each other before anything could happen. As Bruce stroked Helen's hair and face, she looked over and saw the stone, still glowing and floating in mid air. She fought the temptation to grab it again.

"How did you get it out of my hand?" Helen asked, still staring at the gem.

Bruce glanced over at the stone and turned his attention back to her. "After we finished…you know, you passed out. Once you were out, you let it drop."

He looked back over at the stone and turned back to her again, noting her stare. "You wanna touch it again, don't you?"

Helen looked at him and nodded. "It's like a drug. It's almost as if it's calling me to it."

"When you held onto it, you looked like you were in a trance. Do you remember how you felt, or what was happening while you were holding it?"

Helen thought for a second. "I remember most of it." She paused for a minute. "I think I saw my future…or at least a possible future."

Bruce sat all the way up. "You're joking!"

"I'm not kidding."

"What was your future like?"

Helen smiled and blushed again, remembering that she and Bruce were engaged in the dream. "I can't tell you. It would freak you out."

Bruce's brow furrowed. "Is it that bad?"

Helen giggled and shook her head. "No, it wasn't. Actually, it was everything I've ever wanted."

Bruce glanced at the stone again. "I don't get something. I've been running every possible test on that stone in the last 24 hours, and it did nothing. When we presented it to Fury, you'd think it was a diamond that we were gonna sell to a jewelry wholesaler. But the second you and Natasha come around it, it's set off. I don't understand it."

Helen looked over at the stone again, still floating and glowing brightly. She smiled and looked at Bruce. "The stone didn't do anything when you and the other men had it, right?"

Bruce nodded. "Right."

"But it reacted when Nat and I touched it, right?"

"Yeah." After he noticed Helen's smile, realization washed over him. "Don't tell me."

"It only responds to women."

"I'll be damned," Bruce said. "A pink infinity stone that only reacts to women? That's a bit sexist, don't you think?"

Helen chuckled. "Possibly. Nonetheless, only women can unlock its power."

"But according to Natasha's report, all the HYDRA agents in the mountain were men."

"Makes sense. If men were the only ones mining it and guarding it, then there'd be no risk of one of them taking it and abusing its power. But that also means that they were holding it for a specific woman."

"Who?"

Helen shook her head. "I don't know. But seeing the effects of that stone, she stands to gain a lot of power…and she's not gonna be happy when she realizes that it's gone."

"And if she was in league with HYDRA, she doesn't have the best intentions at heart. We have to find Thor and the others." He stroked Helen's cheek again. "You wanna come on a road trip with me?"

Helen beamed. "Absolutely."

He was about to kiss her again, when the floor began to tremble. When the ground stopped shaking, an alarm sounded and the red alert lights began to flash. Helen's eyes became wide, staring at nothing.

Bruce shook her, trying to make her come out of her trance. "Helen?"

"She's here," she simply said.

Bruce looked around. "Who?"

"Lorelei."

Bruce jumped out of bed. "I'm gonna assume that's the woman."

Helen followed his lead and started getting dressed. "We have to get out of here. Now."

Not too far away from Bruce's lab, Lorelei and her men had made their way through the last group of guards and gained entry into the main control room. The men took their positions around the perimeter of the room, as Lorelei stood front and center. "I'm looking for Thor and the red woman," she announced. "They have something that is very precious to me."

"You've wasted your time," one of the agents said. "They're not here."

Lorelei grinned. "Where are they?"

No one answered. "The rules of this game are quite simple," Lorelei said, walking around the room. If you cooperate, you'll live. If not…perhaps your gods will have mercy."

"Ma'am, there's something you should know about SHIELD," the same agent said, reaching for the weapon under his desk.

Lorelei eyed him. "And what is that?"

"SHIELD doesn't negotiate."

He and the other agents drew their weapons on the Asgardians and opened fire. Most of the flunkies were hit, but Lorelei ducked and went for cover just in time to avoid being shot. The men that managed to avoid the hail of bullets closed in on the agent closest to him and responded with either a spear in the chest or a broken neck. While staying low to the ground, Lorelei closed her eyes and tried to concentrate.

"My lady!" one of her men pleaded.

"Quiet!" she snapped. "I know they're hiding my stone here. I just have to sense it." When the agents took the time to reload their weapons, Lorelei visualized Helen and Bruce in the lab, both fully dressed, with the latter placing the stone in a special case and storing it in a bag he had across his shoulder.

"Promise me you won't turn green," Helen said.

"I promise," Bruce replied.

Lorelei grinned. "I knew it." She grabbed the minion's sleeve beside her. "Let's move!"

They ran for the nearest exit as a hail of bullets headed their way. The flunky took a bullet in the leg, but Lorelei made it out unscathed and helped the wounded solider through the door. A short distance away, Bruce and Helen were running down a corridor, trying to get out of the building as quickly as possible. They spotted a door leading to the stairwell and burst through it. As they rushed down the flights of stairs, Nick Fury came around the corner with his weapon drawn. The sudden move made both Bruce and Helen scream out loud. Nick took a deep breath and withdrew his weapon.

"You still have the stone, Banner?" he asked.

"Yeah," Bruce answered. "I'm taking it to the others."

"Sir, come with us," Helen said. "This woman is extremely dangerous."

"I've faced worse," Nick answered. "You two get out of here. I'll hold this place down. I'll meet up with you and the others later."

"Sir-" Bruce pleaded.

Nick held up his hand to stop him. "I'll be alright, trust me. It's not me she's after. Go!"

Bruce and Helen started running down the stairs again as Nick made his way upward with his weapon drawn. In the corridors, Lorelei and her minion were easily picking off the agents and guards with their spears and bare hands, despite the flunky being wounded. She closed her eyes again and saw Bruce and Helen running down the staircase, getting closer and closer to the bottom floor.

Helen stopped dead in her tracks near the fifth floor. "What's wrong?" Bruce cried.

"She's spotted us!" Helen said, her eyes staring into space.

Bruce grabbed her hand. "We have to move!"

Lorelei grinned at the vision and grabbed her minion. "Let's go!" She said, pulling him in the direction of the stairwell.

She shoved her flunky inside the stairwell first, and as a result, he caught nearly all of Nick's gunfire. Lorelei shoved the now dead Asgardian in Nick's direction as a distraction, and sensed Bruce and Laura hitting the bottom floor of the stairwell and heading for the exit. Without hesitation, Lorelei jumped over the railing and fell about thirty stories down to the bottom. She landed squarely on her feet, but snapped her ankle. She quickly popped it back in place just in time enough to avoid Nick's shots from the top floor.

Once he and Helen were out on the street, Bruce desperately tried to hail down a cab, but it proved useless. Upon seeing a red 1991 Saab 900, Helen stepped out in the middle of the road and held her hand out. "Helen, don't!" Bruce screamed.

The car came to a screeching halt before it could hit her. Helen walked over to the passenger's side and simply said, "We have to borrow your car."

Scared out of his mind, the driver jumped out. Bruce and Helen got in the Saab the second the driver was gone. When Bruce stepped on the gas, the car spun its wheels. They weren't moving. They looked out the rear windshield to see what was going on, and lost their breath at what they witnessed. Lorelei was holding the back of the car up, wearing a devilish grin on her face. "Pity," she said. "The red woman would've been a much more worthy opponent."

Before Lorelei could make her move, a bright beam of light descended from the clouds to the street, causing the ground to shake. When the light disappeared, a tall, beautiful brunette was standing on the street, dressed in armor and fortified with a weapon that extended into a spear. Lorelei violently dropped the car upon seeing her and approached the woman, her eyes full of malevolence.

"Sif!" she hissed. "How did you escape!?"

Sif didn't bother to answer her, and only pointed her weapon at Lorelei in response. Lorelei rushed over to strike the her, but Sif used her spear to counter her attack. Enraged, Lorelei continued to try to overcome her, but she was met again a blow from the spear, striking her square in the face. Sif quickly followed the hit with a kick to Lorelei's abdomen. Lorelei continued to come for the her, but she was no match the warrior woman. Sif was able to counter each move, resulting in cuts and bruises on Lorelei's hands, face and torso. Bruce and Helen remained in the car, staring at the two women fighting in shock and awe. A crowd of spectators with camera phones gathered on the street, recording the bout.

Lorelei managed to grab Sif's spear, and shoved her against a parked car, struggling to press the staff against her opponent's throat. She nearly had the staff at Sif's neck, when Sif delivered a kick between Lorelei's legs. Despite not having the type of genitalia that would completely incapacitate her, the kick hurt Lorelei like hell nonetheless, and she buckled over in pain. Sif elbowed Lorelei in the temple, sending her to the concrete. Just as Lorelei was about to get up, Sif quickly ran her through the stomach with the spear.

Sif pulled the spear out of Lorelei and watched as the blonde staggered to her feet, seriously wounded.

"Do you yield?" Sif asked.

Clutching the gaping wound in her stomach, Lorelei let out a stifled chuckled. "I will never yield to you, you heartless bitch."

Sif pointed the spear at her. "Stop this madness now."

Lorelei grinned, with blood seeping from her mouth. "Sif…the madness has only begun." She looked up at the sky and screamed, "Take me up!"

Before Sif could stop her, the light from the Bifrost shone down on the ground, making the earth quake once more. In a split second, the light had vanished, and Lorelei with it. The spectators on the street continued to take pictures and shoot videos.

Bruce got out of the car and approached the beautiful Asgardian warrior. "Lady Sif?" he asked.

The woman nodded. "Yes. And you are?"

"Dr. Bruce Banner," Bruce said, extending his hand.

Being aware of the Midgardian custom, Sif took his hand and shook it. "Thor has told me a lot about you. I expected you to be taller…and to have more of a green hue."

"Sorry to disappoint."

"Do you have the stone in your possession?"

"Yeah, we do. What does the Playmate of the Year want with it?"

Sif looked confused. "The what?"

"The blonde."

"It's best if we find Thor and let him know what's happening. I shall tell you everything you need to know while we're riding in that…thing."

Bruce nodded. "Sounds good to me." With that, they rushed in the Saab and peeled off as the people on the sidewalk continued to stare at them in bewilderment.

 _Harleyville, Maryland – Clint's Farm_

After lunch, everyone packed up their things and headed back to the house. As they walked through the forest, the wind began to blow, rustling the leaves on the trees. Natasha looked around the pristine woods, admiring how peaceful everything was on the Barton's land. It was so rare for her to find peace of mind with her crazy life.

The tops of the trees were moving along with the wind. Natasha stared at the leaves on the branches above her head and noticed something. They were the same exact trees that were in her dream. She looked ahead and saw the wide open space and how the trees surrounded it. She was able to visualize the guests being seated in the area and Nick standing at the podium, waiting as she made her way down the aisle.

Clint walked over to Natasha as she stared ahead. "Nat, you okay?"

Natasha nodded, still staring at the forest in disbelief. "I'm fine."

Clint wrapped his arm around her and escorted her back to the house. The wedding was at Clint's house…but Clint wasn't there. Natasha wasn't the most religious person, but she inwardly prayed it didn't mean what she thought it did.

 **Chapter 8 is coming soon! I hope you guys are still enjoying the story! :)**


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